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How to form a habit - nest0r - 2010-10-15
http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-to-form-habit.html
"Phillippa Lally and her team recruited 96 undergrads (mean age 27) and asked them to adopt a new health-related behaviour, to be repeated once a day for the next 84 days. The new behaviour had to be linked to a daily cue. Examples chosen by the participants included going for a 15 minute run before dinner; eating a piece of fruit with lunch; and doing 50 sit-ups after morning coffee. The participants also logged onto a website each day, to report whether they'd performed the behaviour on the previous day, and to fill out a self-report measure of the behaviour's automaticity. Example items included 'I do it automatically', 'I do it without thinking' and 'I'd find it hard not to do'.
Of the 82 participants who saw the study through to the end, the most common pattern of habit formation was for early repetitions of the chosen behaviour to produce the largest increases in its automaticity. Over time, further increases in automaticity dwindled until a plateau was reached beyond which extra repetitions made no difference to the automaticity achieved.
The average time to reach maximum automaticity was 66 days, although this varied greatly between participants from 18 days to a predicted 254 days (assuming the still rising rate of change in automaticity at the study end were to be continued beyond the study's 84 days)... "
Original: How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world
Abstract: To investigate the process of habit formation in everyday life, 96 volunteers chose an eating, drinking or activity behaviour to carry out daily in the same context (for example ‘after breakfast’) for 12 weeks. They completed the self-report habit index (SRHI) each day and recorded whether they carried out the behaviour. The majority (82) of participants provided sufficient data for analysis, and increases in automaticity (calculated with a sub-set of SRHI items) were examined over the study period. Nonlinear regressions fitted an asymptotic curve to each individual's automaticity scores over the 84 days. The model fitted for 62 individuals, of whom 39 showed a good fit. Performing the behaviour more consistently was associated with better model fit. The time it took participants to reach 95% of their asymptote of automaticity ranged from 18 to 254 days; indicating considerable variation in how long it takes people to reach their limit of automaticity and highlighting that it can take a very long time. Missing one opportunity to perform the behaviour did not materially affect the habit formation process. With repetition of a behaviour in a consistent context, automaticity increases following an asymptotic curve which can be modelled at the individual level.
How to form a habit - truando - 2010-10-15
Extremely interesting! Thanks for that.
How to form a habit - rich_f - 2010-10-15
So, it depends?
How to form a habit - masaman - 2010-10-15
Interesting. What would happen if I skipped the "behavior"? Would it follow the pattern of SRS, i.e. at first I need do it like everyday but once the "habit" is established, I can skip several days of "repetitions" as long as I do it once in a while? I know the study didn't cover that but that was what came up in my head.
How to form a habit - quincy - 2010-10-15
Most people are probably more interested in breaking habits.
How to form a habit - nest0r - 2010-10-16
quincy Wrote:Most people are probably more interested in breaking habits.No, I'd say most people are equally interested in forming and breaking habits, depending on whether they see them as positive or negative (e.g. eating right vs. smoking).
But just for you: Can’t Control Yourself? Monitor Those Bad Habits
Abstract: What strategies can people use to control unwanted habits? Past work has focused on controlling other kinds of automatic impulses, especially temptations. The nature of habit cuing calls for certain self-control strategies. Because the slow-to-change memory trace of habits is not amenable to change or reinterpretation, successful habit control involves inhibiting the unwanted response when activated in memory. In support, two episode-sampling diary studies demonstrated that bad habits, unlike responses to temptations, were controlled most effectively through spontaneous use of vigilant monitoring (thinking “don’t do it,” watching carefully for slipups). No other strategy was useful in controlling strong habits, despite that stimulus control was effective at inhibiting responses to temptations. A subsequent experiment showed that vigilant monitoring aids habit control, not by changing the strength of the habit memory trace but by heightening inhibitory, cognitive control processes. The implications of these findings for behavior change interventions are discussed.
Edit - Full .pdf: http://research.chicagobooth.edu/cdr/docs/wendy2.pdf
How to form a habit - magamo - 2010-10-16
nest0r Wrote:... 96 volunteers...I'd be interested if it were research on the 14 participants who even failed to log onto the website each day. I'm sure I'd be one of them.
... The participants also logged onto a website each day...
... The majority (82) of participants provided sufficient data for analysis...
How to form a habit - ahibba - 2010-10-16
quincy Wrote:Most people are probably more interested in breaking habits.To break a bad habit, try to form a new habit of not doing the bad habit.
How to form a habit - kazelee - 2010-10-16
ahibba Wrote:To break a bad habit, try to form a new habit of not doing the bad habit.That's not how you break a habit. You can not try to not do something. Especially if it's habit. You have to replace the action with another action - like walking away, doing jumping jacks, putting your arms behind your back, etc.
How to form a habit - zachandhobbes - 2010-10-18
I broke my bad habit of going on useless websites by blocking them from my computer.
After a couple weeks I have no urges to even go to them anymore, but they stay blocked so I don't descend into that pit of time wasting.