How Are Habits Formed? The Power of Habit - Part 2

See First Part -> How Are Habits Formed? The Power of Habit - Part: 1

Hopefully first part was clear enough to explain the habit loop. Second part, on the other hand, will explain how this loop can be used in order to reform a daily schedule to overcome addictions, save time and become more productive.

Habits are usually forced or ignored in society in order that people can get rid of them as soon as possible. However, the attempt of erasing the habits tend to fail in most. It is because, for brain ignoring a survival reaction is just not that physically easy. That is the idea of this book. This process does not force an automatic reaction to disappear, it replaces it with a better one. To achieve that start by defining cues and rewards.

Cues and Rewards

Cues are the emotional triggers that start up a loop and rewards are obviously the reason of the whole process. If these two determines the process's existence, they are apparently establish the type of the routine as well. Basically, if cues and rewards are understood in detail, routines can be changed the way that they are desired to change.

If you ESPECIALLY tend to smoke among social groups, your cue for smoking might be Need for Acceptance and your reward is feeling respected.

If you ESPECIALLY tend to masturbate in a private room(obviously), your cue might be feeling of Boredom or Loneliness and your reward is a sense of relief or pleasure.

But, of course, before defining the cues, bad habits must be defined.

Habits List

Make a list of habits you want to acquire and eliminate. Here a list of examples provided, that can be useful.

Bad Habits: Bad Social Habits:

Smoking Anger

Masturbation Extreme Defensive Reactions

Video Games Pretending to Ignore Others

Eating Junk Food Focusing on Inner World

Good Habits: Good Social Habits:

Meditation Being Unpredictable

Working Out Strong Body Language

Reading Self-Amusement

Drinking Water Focusing on Fun

Habit Shift

Now good and bad habits and their cues and rewards are revealed. It is time to decide which routines will be replaced. Well, the approach of shifting the habit of smoking with reading does not seem very logical from a realistic perspective. That is the reason cues and rewards has to be defined in the very beginning.

If the cue of smoking is need for acceptance and the reward is feeling respected, the new routine that will satisfy those could be working out for many people. Another example would be changing an extreme defensive reaction since it makes people look insecure. An annoying conversation or some mean comment of others might build uncomfortability in individuals. If they do not intend to seem insecure and, at the same time, seem more confident; they could replace it with the skill of self-amusement.

I strongly recommend taking habits seriously. After all, they are pillars of individuals' lives. Hope that was helpful. Feel free to contact me for any questions. If you want to learn more about how automatic reactions are shaped, you might be interested in how subconscious mind learns. Because that is where everything starts.

See -> "3 Ways Subconscious Mind Learns!!!"

Check out the book -> Amazon, The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Ebay, The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

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