We all have habits we’d like to change, whether it’s biting your nails, smoking, or snacking late at night. But why are these habits so tough to break? You might think your day is filled with conscious decisions, but a study from Duke University found that 45% of your daily actions are habits you repeat in the same places. These are your habits.
Habits are linked to a primitive part of your brain called the Basal Ganglia, which also helps with basic functions like breathing and swallowing. An experiment at MIT showed how habits form. A mouse was placed in a T-shaped maze with chocolate on the left side. At first, the mouse explored the maze, sniffing and scratching around. It eventually found the chocolate, and during this time, its Basal Ganglia was very active. After a week of practice, the mouse would run straight to the chocolate as soon as the gate opened, with much less brain activity until it reached the chocolate.
Our brains like to save effort and space, leading to automatic behaviors known as “chunking.” Chunking helps create new habit patterns in the brain. It’s like tasks you do every day without thinking, such as brushing your teeth or backing out of your driveway—skills that were once hard but are now automatic.
This process follows a three-step loop. Step 1 is the cue, like the click of the gate for the mouse. Step 2 is the routine, which is running through the maze. Step 3 is the reward, which is the chocolate. Over time, the cue and reward become linked, creating anticipation and cravings, which are key parts of habits. During routines, our brains go into automatic mode, stopping full participation in decision-making. Our habits unfold automatically whenever there’s a cue.
These habits can be so ingrained that the reward doesn’t even have to be good. A study on people who habitually ate popcorn at the movies found that they ate it regardless of hunger or taste, even if it was stale. Our habits often override what we know is good for us. For instance, a campaign in America called “Take 5” encouraged people to take…
Understanding how habits work can help us change them. By recognizing the cues and rewards, we can try to alter the routine or replace it with a better one. It’s not easy, but with practice and patience, breaking a bad habit is possible.
Start a habit tracking journal for a week. Each day, note down any habits you notice, the cues that trigger them, and the rewards you receive. Reflect on how these habits make you feel and consider if there are any you’d like to change. This will help you become more aware of your habits and the habit loop.
Create a diagram that illustrates how the Basal Ganglia is involved in habit formation. Include the process of chunking and the habit loop. Use colors and labels to make it visually engaging. This will help you understand the brain’s role in developing habits.
In groups, choose a common habit and act out the habit loop: cue, routine, and reward. Discuss how changing one part of the loop might alter the habit. This activity will help you see how habits are structured and how they can be modified.
Identify a habit you want to change. Develop a plan to replace the routine with a healthier one while keeping the same cue and reward. Share your plan with a partner and discuss how you will implement it. This exercise will help you practice altering habits.
Conduct an experiment similar to the popcorn study. Choose a habit that involves a reward, and try to change the reward to see if the habit persists. Record your observations and discuss them with the class. This will help you understand why some habits are hard to break.
*This episode is supported by Blue Apron.* We all have habits we’d like to break, whether it’s biting your fingernails, smoking, or eating late at night. But why are these habits so hard to break? Perhaps you think your day is made up of deliberate, conscious decisions, but in reality, a study from Duke University found that 45% of your everyday behaviors are actions that you repeat daily and tend to do in the same location. These are your habits.
Habits are attributed to one of the most primitive structures in your brain, the Basal Ganglia, the same region that helps control processes such as breathing and swallowing. In an MIT experiment, a mouse sits behind a gate of a T-shaped maze where to the left is a piece of chocolate. When the door clicks, the mouse explores the maze, sniffing and scratching at the walls. First, it explores to the right and then to the left, eventually finding the chocolate. A scan of its basal ganglia shows it’s working furiously throughout the whole process. However, after a week of training, the mouse runs immediately towards the chocolate once the gate clicks. At this point, there’s very little brain activity once the gate clicks, and the brain doesn’t activate again until it reaches the chocolate.
Our brain seems to minimize effort and space, and this kind of automatic behavior is referred to as “chunking.” Chunking aids in creating a new habit pattern in the brain. It’s like a task you do every day that you no longer have to think about, such as brushing your teeth or backing out of your driveway—skills that were once difficult to master but now become automatic.
This process is a three-step loop. Step 1 is the cue, which for the mouse is the click of the gate; Step 2 is the routine, which is running through the maze; and Step 3 is the reward, in this case, chocolate. Cue and reward eventually intertwine, creating anticipation and cravings, which are essential parts of habits. Because we go into automatic mode during routines, our brains stop fully participating in decision-making. Our habits will automatically unfold every time there is a cue.
These habits can be so entrenched that the reward doesn’t even have to be good. A study of habitual popcorn eaters at the movies found that they were minimally impacted by hunger or how much they liked the food, and they ate the cinema popcorn regardless of whether it was stale or fresh. Our habits often overrule what we know is good for us. For example, a study of America’s “Take 5” campaign encouraging citizens to take…
Habits – Behaviors that are repeated regularly and tend to occur subconsciously. – Example sentence: Developing good study habits can help improve your grades over time.
Brain – The organ in the head that controls thoughts, memory, feelings, and activity. – Example sentence: The brain processes information from our senses to help us understand the world around us.
Chunking – A method of breaking down information into smaller, manageable parts to make it easier to remember. – Example sentence: By using chunking, she was able to memorize the long list of vocabulary words more effectively.
Routine – A sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program. – Example sentence: Having a morning routine can help you start your day with more focus and energy.
Reward – A positive reinforcement given after a desired behavior to encourage its repetition. – Example sentence: Receiving praise from the teacher served as a reward for completing the project on time.
Cue – A signal or prompt that triggers a specific behavior or response. – Example sentence: The sound of the bell was a cue for students to move to their next class.
Automatic – Performed without conscious thought or intention, often as a result of habit. – Example sentence: After years of practice, playing the piano became an automatic skill for her.
Cravings – Intense desires for specific things, often related to food or other habits. – Example sentence: He experienced strong cravings for chocolate whenever he felt stressed.
Decision-making – The process of making choices by identifying options and selecting a course of action. – Example sentence: Good decision-making skills are important for solving problems effectively.
Practice – The repeated exercise of an activity or skill to improve proficiency. – Example sentence: Regular practice is essential for becoming proficient in a new language.
