Mar 06, 2025 06:00:00

What are the 5 keys to developing positive habits and abandoning negative ones?

Many people have resolved to develop positive habits, such as going to the gym regularly to improve their health or adopting a healthier diet, but have given up due to lack of motivation. Aike Buabang, a researcher at Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN), explains five points to keep in mind when developing a habit.

Five essential strategies to master your habits

https://theconversation.com/five-essential-strategies-to-master-your-habits-250099

◆Forget the 21-day rule
In behavioral psychology, there is a theory called the '

incubation rule ' or '21-day rule,' which says that if you form a new habit and continue that habit for 21 days, it will become established. However, Buaban says, 'The formation and establishment of habits are different for each person.'

A 2009 study estimated that it took an average of 66 days to form a habit, such as 'eating fruit at lunch,' with a wide range of individual differences from 18 to 254 days. In addition, a study of more than 12 million people who regularly go to the gym and 40 million hand-washings by hospital staff found that it took several months to develop the habit of going to the gym, but only a few weeks to develop the habit of hand-washing in hospitals. Therefore, Buaban suggested that 'the establishment of a habit depends on the behavior. No matter how long it takes, if you continue, it will definitely be established.'

◆ Use rewards to your advantage
The human brain likes to repeat rewarding behaviors. Therefore, giving yourself a reward, whether external or internal, such as doing something fun as a reward for yourself after finishing a workout, strengthens habit formation. Also, if you want to break a bad habit, such as relaxing by looking at social media, it is effective to do another activity that has a similar effect. 'By replacing a bad habit with a positive behavior, not only do you avoid feeling 'deprived,' but you also create a competing response to the bad habit, making it easier to break the cycle,' said Buaban.

Build habits
Habits are more likely to be formed by combining various behaviors. This is a technique called 'habit stacking,' and previous research has shown that people who floss immediately after brushing their teeth are more likely to maintain that habit. Similarly, if you want to make meditation a habit, combining two types of behaviors, such as 'drinking coffee and then meditating for five minutes,' rather than simply 'meditating for five minutes,' will make these behaviors more likely to become habits.

◆ Be mindful of stress
When we experience temporary or chronic stress, our behavior can shift from goal-directed behavior, including habit formation,

to an automatic response system in the brain . Therefore, when we feel strong stress, bad habits that we thought we had abandoned can return. However, it has been reported that the effects of stress are reversible, and that by being in a stress-free environment for several weeks, we can return to our previous goal-directed behavior.

Prepare for weak moments
Basically, people tend to try to form new habits when they feel motivated. However, to actually form a habit, there are times when you have to work toward your goal even when you are not motivated. So Buaban says, 'A powerful strategy to overcome these weak moments is to make a plan for a specific situation in advance, called an 'if-then plan.'' Specifically, 'If you feel stressed and want to reach for a snack, take a five-minute walk instead.' This approach can trigger a healthier response by planning ahead at the moment when a bad habit would take over.

'These points can seem complicated, but if you're looking to break a bad habit or build a good one, the evidence suggests that using evidence-based strategies can help you change your behavior,' Buaban said.