Researchers at the University of Surrey suggest that by abandoning common misconceptions about habits, we can gain a better understanding of our own habits and take more productive steps. This is in contrast to the portrayal in pop psychology, which often characterizes all stable behaviors as habits and suggests that forming new habits will always result in positive long-term change. The analysis by Surrey researchers proposes that a habit is essentially a mental connection between a situation (cue) and a response (behavior).
When a person with a habit finds themselves in a certain situation, an unconscious desire triggers the action. However, whether this desire leads to habitual behavior depends on other competing urges that impact our actions.
Dr. Benjamin Gardner, co-author and Reader in Psychology at the University of Surrey, stated:
“Developing a habit involves linking a situation that is frequently encountered with the action that is typically taken. These connections help to create urges that compel us to perform the usual action automatically. However, the urges from habits are just one of many emotions that we may experience at any given moment.
“Urges are similar to impulses.There are many impulses in our lives, all competing for our attention. We can only focus on one at a time, and these impulses can come from different sources including intentions, plans, emotions, and habits. We tend to act based on which impulse is the most demanding at any given moment.
The strongest impulses often come from our habits, guiding us to do what we usually do, even when other impulses are trying to get our attention. However, there are times when other impulses become more urgent.
Other impulses have the power to override our habits, such as when cold weather prevents us from going on our usual morning run.
The article emphasizes the importance of developing new habits.An organization can provide support to help you stay on track, but it doesn’t guarantee that a new behavior will always become a habit. Dr. Phillippa Lally, a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Surrey and co-author of the study, explained this with an example: “Imagine someone who has formed a habit of eating a healthy breakfast every morning. One day, they oversleep, rush out of the house without time for breakfast, and end up grabbing a sugary snack on their way to work. This one disruption can make them feel like they’ve failed, which could lead to them giving up on the healthy eating habit completely. When attempting to establish a new behavior.
When trying to stick to healthy habits, it’s important to establish a routine and have a backup plan for handling obstacles, like having nutritious snacks readily available for busy mornings.”
When it comes to breaking unhealthy habits, the researchers from Surrey propose a variety of strategies.
Dr. Gardner elaborates:
“There are numerous approaches to preventing yourself from giving in to your habits. For example, if you want to stop snacking while watching TV, one option is to avoid the trigger by not turning on the television. Another method is to make it more difficult to act on impulse by not keeping snacks at home. Alternatively, you can interrupt yourself when you feel the urge.
The underlying habit might still be present, but these techniques decrease the likelihood of ‘undesirable’ behaviors happening automatically. Dr. Lally suggests that if you can’t avoid your habit triggers or make the behavior more challenging, replacing a bad habit with a good one is the next best approach. It’s easier to do something than nothing, and with consistency, the new behavior should eventually become the dominant one, overpowering any impulses from your old habit.