Why is it So Difficult to Change a Habit?

Changing a habit is more about habitual behavior that requires a cognitive understanding of your activities. This means clear perception of causes and consequences of your own responses, reflecting on own behavior, and correct interpretation of a situation and a context according to what it means for you and how it fits into your reality. Changing a habit is more about knowing the psychology of habits.  

By Olena Denysyuk

OUR  bodies TENDS TO BE ENERGY-SAVING  and our brains give mostly a priority to what is perceived as usual, Therefore, very often,  we are not totally aware of our actions, as many of them are almost automatic. So, I will describe our CONSCIOUSNESS as “lazy”.

And there is a good reason for it: by performing complex behaviors without any consciousness, we save our brain energy for something more important. That is one of the reasons why our brain likes what is already familiar to us. Then, by knowing the patterns, our brains would know on which inputs to pay attention to and which to ignore. In music, for example, our brains crave familiarity, because familiarity is how we manage to hear without becoming distracted by sounds or noises. In turn, the system of liking makes us wanting it. Therefore, we are coming back again to something familiar to us, instead of wanting/accepting something new. And we come back- and we create habits. Again and again, because behavioral habits prevent us from becoming overwhelmed by the endless decisions we would otherwise have to make each day. That’s the rationale behind our lazy mind.

But at some point, for some individual reason, you might want to change a habit, as the brain’s dependence on automatic routines at some point can be dangerous. However, simply declaring your reasons for changing a habit (I am too fat, I am too lazy, I am too unhealthy, etc.) is not enough a predisposition for any work with a habit. The supremacy of the power of habits is thus in the understanding of the psychology of habits. So if you want to change a habit, you would need to comprehend the conditions (stimuli and clues) that lead you towards your habit. Also, you would need to understand what reward you achieve when executing your habit. Knowing exactly the powers of your habits, the dark as they are, is essential for forming and changing your habit behavior. Also, this way you can come to the source of “good” habits”. And, if you are lucky, you can adjust the dark power of a “bad” habit into something more enjoyable, powerful, and challenging.

Charles Duhigg, a reporter for The New York Times, expose the idea of the power of habits in his book “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business”, where he describes how and why habits exist and how they can be changed. As he says on his blog: “That’s what this book is about: how anyone can learn this stuff. Changing habits isn’t necessarily quick or easy. But it is possible. And now we know how.”

In his book, Duhigg bring the “golden rule of habit change” under the scope of patterns that habits share: the clues, rewards, conditions. Basically, he argues that habits are a three-step loop:  the cue, the routine (the habitual behavior) and the reward. So if you want to change a habit, you must keep the old cue, and deliver the old reward, but insert a new routine. “Almost any behavior can be transformed if the cue and reward stay the same”.

 Accordingly, by “blending” the habits of different environments in business and at home- organizational, managerial, and personal; stressful and in crisis; the author will take you into the “world of habits”. He will tell you about different aspects of why habits exist and how they function. He will also tell you, who can use/misuse your habits, and why we like habits, how habits provide platforms for learning our behavior. But basically, the book is “a framework for understanding how habits work and a guide to experimenting with how they might change”, reinforced by some examples.

Personally, I expected the book to be more about human consciousness, about the psychology and neurology of habits. But the book is more a business-like book, based on the research and business cases that were applied in the field of habit formation and change. The cases were spread across chapters and the entire book. For example, he talked about how the new CEO of Alcoa (the production company) O’Neil changed the organizational behavior/culture by changing the behavioral habits of employees. Facing many employee injuries, he needed to make to work place safer. But just as the author was about to talk about it (and I am going to do the same, as more about Alcoa’s habits to be written later), he then would talk about the guy, who was changing his habits in order to become the strongest mental swimmer in the pool. I think the author wanted to make a page-turner, an irresistible read, a story or book that you can’t put down, asking “what is happening next”. For my taste, this writing strategy didn’t motivate me to keep reading, as it should have been. Instead, it was annoying- each time it happened, it broke my tread of reflection. And next time, I would come back to my reflections; I would miss the peak of it, as the story started to repeat itself again, in addition, making it boring in some places. So, too much repetition and an unsuccessful cliffhanger strategy of writing were the major weaknesses of the book for me..  But my review is not about evaluating the book; I would rather use my space to reflect and mention my favorite ideas from the book, which give us lots of thought to digest and to remember.

So, if you understand your habits, then you have the enormous power over your life. The correct understanding of the power of habits can also make you a better spouse, leader, employer, parent. So the book is not only about changing your own habits, it’s also about how you can use the framework of habits to make decisions, to understand and influence others. Or even manipulate them. You can use it as an instrument to influence group behavior, turning companies into profit makers and ensuring the success of social movements (big perspective- and probably unrealistic)

For example, companies can come with strategies by understanding our psychology of habits- the cue, the routine and the reward. For example, the record companies/radio stations for a new record/a song to like it, would establish listening habits at first. First they would familiarize you with a new song and make you to like it, even if at first place you didn’t like it. And to do that, they would use the “the sandwich strategy”, by playing a new song between the popular hits. Then it would sound more familiar, and moreinteresting/exciting (sticky), even if you never heard it before. So here is the clue- you brain catches something familiar to you, and will want to listen to it. Routine- you listen to the song without changing the station. And the reward is- your brain will like the feeling of familiarity, and therefore, like the song.

Other companies would place and promote the new product the same way, by camouflaging it among something already familiar, because, “much of the time, we don’t actually choose if we like or dislike something. It would take too much mental effort.” The key here is to dress something new in old clothes, and make the unfamiliar seem familiar. Also, the cues and rewards could be a powerful tool of influencing ones behavior.

Here are other some moments in the book I found the most interesting, which can give you/me a platform for a new start:

1.       The organizational habits and not the leadership style alone can change the organizational cultures. “Cultures grow out of the keystone habits in every organization, whether leaders aware of it, or not.”  O’Neil, the CEO of Alcoa, mentioned earlier, believed that the “safety plan” was needed as a first change when starting as a new CEO. Then he modeled the “safety plan” in the habit loop. “The identified a simple cue: an employee injury. He instituted an automatic routine: Any time someone was injured, the unit president had to report it to O’Neil within twenty-four hours and present a plan for making sure the injury never happened again. And there was a reward: The only people who got promoted were these who embraced the system”. All that required organizational changes- communication, suggestions, warning, planning, ideas box and, the most important, safety initiatives- the very fundamental areas for improvement in order for the plan to work.  “Almost everything about the company’s rigid hierarchy had to change to accommodate O’Neil’s safety program. He was building new corporate habits”. By using this habitual framework, he succeeded in moving the company to the safest in the county. It’s a good example of how a business-related problem can be reached out, or communicated on a higher level.

2.       Our habits are so powerful, that they provide the platform for learning our behavior. Thus, our habits, recorded and stored at data warehouses is the excellent source of targeted promotion. So, if one day, you might feel you are targeted, you can start to think, maybe it reveals the true face of a habit of yours?

3.       The access to own authority and independence is a strong factor when working with habits- and not only the other way around.

4.       Bad habits are possible to overcome not only by learning new routines, but also practicing them over and over again. But that requires both free will and strong motivational cues. If not, you can keep your focus on practicing a new routine as such. And don’t give up.

5.       Small and positive changes in habits can lead to the chain of reaction. These “small wins”- are part of how keystone habits create widespread changes. “Small wins have enormous power, an influence disproportionate to the accomplishments of the victories themselves. Once a small win has been accomplished, forces are set in motion that favors another small win. Small wins fuel transformative changes by leveraging tiny advantages into patterns that convince people that bigger achievements are within reach”.

6.       And finally, the clues and reward effect, the core of the entire book: “the habit loop,” whereby an environmental cue automatically leads to a behavioral routine that results in a reward. But we often not conscious of the cravings that drive behaviors. “To figure out which cravings are driving particular habits, it’s useful to experiment with different rewards.” It is then strongly advised to test different hypothesis to determine which craving is driving your routine.

All is good, but for now, it’s only theory, which is shaped around “the habit loop” framework. It’s worthy, when you know your habits. But what if you need a habit, you are not aware of? Or, what if behavior is not yet recognized as habitual behavior?  To work with some habits also requires changing the way you think and breathe. You will need to be prepared for a change. You will need to know what to expect during the change, and also you will need to be prepared to expect the unexpected. For a serious habit to change, you will need a new you. Anyways, I don’t think it’s that easy to rationalize a habitual behavior, as it’s described in the book.

Therefore, do not expect it to be a self-help book about changing a habit in case of habit behaviors that involve dependence on a chemical substance, like nicotine or alcohol, or like addictions, behaviors that have become so rewarding that they’re nearly impossible to resist (e.g., gambling), or any behavior that change your neurology (like negative thinking, obsessive behavior) . I think the book is more useful for changing your “executive habits”.

For example, if you are bored (cue) instead of having “I- must-buy-a-cookie” habit (routine), focus on “go and have a chat” habit. And the reward would be same- you are distracted from your boredom. It’s more about habitual behavior that is easy to change and requires a cognitive understanding of your activities. This means clear perception of causes and consequences of your own responses, reflecting on own behavior, and correct interpretation of a situation according to what it means for you and how it fits into your reality. For example, if you buy a cookie at work, it can be you are bored. Instead, go for a gossip with a colleague. You will get the same reward- a little bit of amusement.

But perhaps limiting our knowledge to the framework of habits only, as presented in the book, is not enough to sway our mind. The author mentions that it does take a significant change in your life (marriage, having a child, divorce, pregnancy, a new leader, a new corporate culture) to shift a habit. I don’t think it is enough. Changing a habit also requires inner willpower, social support, in some cases, changes in legislation or fashion. There should be changes not only in the context, but also, in your new interpretation of this context.

I have this dark habit of snoozing for one hour- every morning- making me coming to work later, than I would have wanted. I think I know the cues- I go late to bed. Then I have to find a new clue. I think it should be mediation. The challenge here is to find what should be the reward of getting up earlier? Guess, I shall to ask my husband for a reward, or even experience with different types of reward?

  Let’s see how it works in practice.


And here is an inspirational picture I have found on  Charles Duhigg's blog.