Lesson 2: Habits

What are habits?

Habits are defined as repeated automated behaviours that run in the subconscious mind and are done so many times that you no longer have to pay attention to them.

Your physical health, your mental health, and even your financial successes are all results of your daily habits.

Science of habits

All habits happen at a subconscious level, which is why they can be so difficult to break. It doesn’t mean it’s impossible, but understanding what makes up a habit is paramount in changing it.

They have a few characteristics:

• There needs to be a cue (usually some sort of sense: taste, smell, sight, etc)

• Then comes a craving

• Followed by a response

• The final characteristic for a habit is the reward and this is crucial. This is the release of dopamine in the brain from a completed reward system.

Dopamine makes you feel good

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that contributes to feelings of pleasure and motivation in your brains reward system. It sends a message to the brain saying:

“Oh hey. You know this thing that you’re doing right now? It’s really awesome. Here’s a reward for that. You should totally do this again because it feels so good :)”

This ‘feel-good’ reward is what tells your brain that the behaviour is worth repeating again in the future.

Note: The danger of this reward system is that since dopamine contributes to feelings of pleasure and satisfaction, the neurotransmitter also plays a part in addiction. Both habits and addiction can grow from repeated behaviours that are rewarded.

If you need help with an addiction, there are free helplines available in New Zealand:

Alcohol & Drug Help:

• Call 0800 787 797 or text 8681
  24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to speak with a trained counsellor. All calls are free and confidential.

Read more: https://alcoholdrughelp.org.nz/helpline/

What happens in the brain

When you learn a new skill or behaviour, a network of neurons become connected. At first it’s a very weak connection, but as you repeat that connection over time, it will become stronger.

Just like training your muscles, the connections that make up a behaviour will grow in size as they are reinforced through practice. They get so strong that a layer of fat called ‘myelin’ gets wrapped around them.

This is significant because this layer of fat makes this connection even faster.

Your brain requires a lot of energy

Your brain weighs about 2% of your body weight and consumes about 20% of your daily energy needs.

Energy conservation is everywhere in your body and the brain is no exception. It will always favour the path of least resistance (the path which costs less). That means that the behaviours with the strongest connections and cost the least amount of energy will be the ones that cement themselves as habits, no matter how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ you perceive them to be.

Practice makes more permanent

If the behaviour is repeated and rewarded over time, it will become stronger; making it harder and harder to change over time.

Cue → Craving → Response → Reward

This is the four step pattern that your brain runs through in the same order for every habit.

First Step: Cue

This is what triggers you to initiate a behaviour.

Eg. the smell of takeaways as you pass your local shop on the way home (or seeing this picture of fries and a burger) sets off the second step; craving.

Second Step: Craving

This is the step that prompts your body to take action as it desires or feels like it ‘needs’ to fulfil a hunger signal (more on hunger signals in a later lesson) or an addictive dopamine hit.

Everyone’s cravings are different. Others may smell the same things, but won’t register it as a cue for craving as they don’t have that pathway established in their brain.

Third Step: Response

This is the actual action that makes up the habit.

This is the thought or decision to actually move your body towards the shop and place your order. This decision may be a conscious shift of your priorities or it may even be an unconscious decision as you move towards your reward.

Last Step: Reward

Rewards are what cements the habit in place. That hit of dopamine as you over indulge closes this feedback loop of a habit, encouraging you to repeat this pattern again.

It’s important to note that it doesn’t matter how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ you may perceive a behaviour to be. As long as it is repeated and rewarded enough, it will move further towards becoming a subconscious habit, making it harder and harder to change.

Changing your habits

To give you the best chances of consciously changing a habit, follow these steps:

Step 1: Recognise the habit.

Being aware of each phase of the habit cycle gives you the power to change it.

Step 2: Remove the cue.

Remove the trigger and the habit will never start. This could be taking a different route to avoid those takeaway temptations or managing to stay ahead of hunger so that you don’t get cued by seeing or smelling fast food. This will reduce the chances of the pattern taking form drastically.

Step 3: Replace the habit.

You have habits for a reason. They give you reward at the end of the pattern, so once you remove a habit you are left with no reward. Find another activity (unrelated to food) that can serve you better and one that you can find reward in and habit change is much more likely to occur.

Common habits people look to change:

• Overeating/binging

• Eating out

• Social drinking

Task: Your Habits

You will find the task for this lesson attached in the same email that you received this one.