How To Change Bad Habits And Create New Ones
Summary
TLDRThe video explores the science of habit formation and change, drawing on MIT's T-shaped maze experiment with rats to illustrate the 'habit loop' of cue, routine, and reward. It explains how the brain automates routines through 'chunking' to save effort. The video also delves into Wolfram Schultz's research on neural responses to rewards, showing how anticipation of pleasure can hardwire habits. To change habits, it suggests keeping the same cue and reward but replacing the routine, emphasizing the importance of belief and community support for lasting change.
Takeaways
- 🧠 Habit formation involves the brain converting actions into automatic routines through a process called 'chunking' to save effort.
- 🐀 The MIT rat experiment showed that as habits are repeated, brain activity decreases, indicating the action has become habitual.
- 🔁 The 'habit loop' consists of a cue, routine, and reward, which together create and reinforce habits over time.
- 🍫 In the experiment, the cue (click sound) signaled the rats to go into automatic mode to find the chocolate, illustrating how cues trigger habits.
- 🌟 The reward in the habit loop confirms whether a habit is worth remembering, which is crucial for habit formation and maintenance.
- 🙉 Neuroscientist Wolfram Schultz's experiments revealed that the anticipation of a reward can become as pleasurable as the reward itself, highlighting the power of cues in habit formation.
- 🏃♂️ To create new habits, it's necessary to repeat the habit loop until there's a craving for the associated reward, making the habit stick.
- 🍰 Changing a habit involves keeping the same cue and reward but replacing the routine with a new one that delivers the same reward.
- 🤔 Understanding the cues and rewards associated with a habit is key to changing it, as it helps identify what the habit is truly satisfying.
- 👥 For lasting habit change, especially during difficult times, belief in the possibility of change, often supported by a community, is essential.
- 📚 The video recommends 'The Power of Habit' by Charles Duhigg for further understanding of the science behind habits.
Q & A
What did the MIT researchers discover about habits through their experiments with rats in a T-shaped maze?
-The MIT researchers discovered that as the rats repeatedly navigated the maze to find chocolate, their brain activity decreased and they moved through the maze more quickly. This showed that the brain forms habits through a process called 'chunking,' which converts a series of actions into an automatic routine to save effort.
How does the brain save effort when forming habits?
-The brain saves effort by converting a series of actions into an automatic routine, a process known as 'chunking.' This allows the brain to allocate its resources to more important tasks, as the habitual actions require less conscious thought.
What is the 'habit loop' and how does it function?
-The 'habit loop' is a process that involves three parts: a cue, a routine, and a reward. The cue signals the brain to use a particular habit, the routine is the action taken, and the reward reinforces the habit loop, making it more automatic over time.
Why is it challenging to create new habits or break old ones?
-Creating new habits or breaking old ones is challenging because the brain has already established patterns that are strongly associated with cues and rewards. To form a new habit, one must repeat the new cue-routine-reward loop enough times to create a craving for the associated reward.
What role do cues and rewards play in habit formation according to Wolfram Schultz's experiments?
-In Wolfram Schultz's experiments, cues and rewards play a crucial role in habit formation. The monkey's brain began to anticipate the reward (blackberry juice) when presented with the cue (shapes on the screen), causing a spike in brain activity associated with pleasure even before the reward was received.
How can one change an existing habit that they no longer want?
-To change an existing habit, one should keep the existing cue and reward but insert a new routine. By doing so, the brain still receives the expected reward, but the behavior associated with it is altered.
Why do some habits fail to stick even after the routine has been changed?
-Some habits fail to stick because they do not become associated with a strong craving for the reward. Additionally, when life becomes stressful, old habits can resurface if the new habit is not deeply ingrained or if there is not enough belief in the change.
What is the role of belief in making a habit change durable?
-Belief plays a significant role in making a habit change durable. A person must believe that change is possible, and this belief often emerges with the support of a like-minded group or community, which can help sustain the new habit during challenging times.
How can understanding the science behind habits help in creating or changing them?
-Understanding the science behind habits can help by providing insight into how they form and how they can be changed. With this knowledge, individuals can use strategies like creating a new routine with the same cue and reward, and seeking support from a community to increase the likelihood of success.
What is the significance of the 'marshmallow test' mentioned in the script?
-The 'marshmallow test' is not directly discussed in the script, but it is a famous experiment that explores self-control and the ability to delay gratification. It is mentioned as a related topic that viewers might be interested in exploring further.
What book is recommended for further understanding of the science behind habits?
-The book recommended for further understanding of the science behind habits is 'The Power of Habit' by Charles Duhigg.
Outlines
🧠 Understanding Habit Formation in the Brain
This paragraph delves into how science can help us comprehend and modify our habits. It references a 1990s MIT study where rats were placed in a T-shaped maze to understand the habit formation process. The study revealed that as the rats repeated the maze, their brain activity decreased as they learned the route to the chocolate reward. This phenomenon is known as 'chunking,' where the brain turns actions into automatic routines to conserve energy. The paragraph introduces the 'habit loop,' which includes a cue, routine, and reward, and explains how these elements interact to form habits. It also discusses the challenge of creating new habits due to the brain's anticipation of rewards, as demonstrated by Wolfram Schultz's experiments with monkeys. The importance of repetition and craving for the formation of new habits is emphasized.
🔄 Changing Unwanted Habits with Community Support
The second paragraph focuses on the difficulty of changing existing habits and the role of belief and community in making lasting changes. It discusses how habits, once formed, are hard to break and often resurface during stressful times. The paragraph suggests that to change a habit, one must identify the cue and reward, then replace the routine with a new one that provides the same reward. However, for a new habit to stick, especially during challenging times, belief in the possibility of change is crucial. This belief is often fostered within a supportive community or group. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for viewers to learn more about the science of habits and to support the channel by engaging with the content and subscribing.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Habits
💡Chunking
💡Cue
💡Routine
💡Reward
💡Habit Loop
💡Neurochemical
💡Endorphin Rush
💡Craving
💡Community Support
💡The Power of Habit
Highlights
Science can help us understand and change habits through the study of neural patterns and behavior.
MIT researchers conducted experiments with rats in a T-shaped maze to understand habit formation.
The brain's activity decreases as a habit becomes more automatic, a process known as 'chunking'.
Habits are formed through a 'habit loop' involving a cue, routine, and reward.
The cue triggers the brain to go into automatic mode and select the appropriate habit.
The reward reinforces the habit loop, making it more automatic over time.
Creating new habits is challenging because the brain craves the associated rewards.
Neuroscientist Wolfram Schultz's experiments reveal how rewards affect the brain on a neurochemical level.
The brain begins to anticipate rewards, associating cues with the pleasurable experience.
Changing a habit involves keeping the same cue and reward but inserting a new routine.
Belief in the possibility of change is crucial for making new habits stick, especially during stressful times.
Community support can significantly increase the chances of successfully creating or changing habits.
The book 'The Power of Habit' by Charles Duhigg provides further insights into the science of habits.
Understanding the science behind habits is key to successfully creating or changing them.
The video suggests subscribing and watching related content for more information on the topic.
Transcripts
how can science help us to understand
our habits create new ones and change
bad habits such as smoking with a simple
formula anyone can use in the early 90s
researchers at MIT did a series of
experiments to understand habits they
place rats in a simple T shaped maze
with chocolate at one end when a loud
click sounded the rats were let loose
and began sniffing out the chocolate the
researchers noticed that the rats brains
exploded with activity as they slowly
searched the maze as the experiment was
repeated hundreds of times a series of
changes slowly emerged the rat started
to move through the maze quicker and
quicker and at the same time their brain
activity decreased him as the rat
started to learn where the chocolate
would be it no longer had to choose
which way to turn and so the
decision-making centers of the brain
went quiet after a while the brain
structures related to memory became less
active as the rat had internalized how
to get the chocolate to such an extent
that it hardly had to think at all the
process in which the brain converse a
series of actions into an automatic
routine is called chunking and is vital
to how habits are formed the brain does
this to save itself effort so that it
can be used for more important things
however it's important for the brain to
know when it can use habits when it
needs to be more alert to do this it
relies on a cue when the rat is placed
in the maze it doesn't know where it is
there could be a predator waiting
outside ready to pounce when it hears
the familiar click sound and the maze is
opened it knows that it can go into
automatic mode and use the to find the
delicious chocolate habit if however
instead of the click sound it hears a
meow it knows to use a different of it
this process is known as the habit loop
first there is a cue letting our brain
to know which habit to use and to go
into automatic mode then comes the
routine and finally the reward which
tells our brains whether a particular
habit loop is worth remembering over
time
the habit loop becomes more and more
automatic so if habits are simply a
matter of creating a queue completing a
routine and then getting a reward
why then is it so difficult to create a
new habit and sticks that New Year's
resolution to heat healthier why
exercise mark the reason why it can be
so difficult is because to make the cues
and rewards were craving is required to
explain this we can look at the work of
neuroscientists Wolfram Schultz
conducted a series of experiments to
understand how awards work on a
neurochemical level a monkey was placed
in a room in front of a computer monitor
whenever shapes appeared on the screen
the monkey was taught to pull a lever
which would release a drop of black bee
juice down a tube and into his mouth
Schulz monitored the activity of the
monkey's brain as it carried out the
activity predictably whenever the
blackberry juice was released the
monkey's brain activity would spike
suggesting that he was experienced in
pleasure the experiment was repeated
again and again until a habit was formed
however as the experiment was repeated
and
became stronger Shultz noticed something
unexpected the monkey's brain began
anticipating the blackberry juice when
the shapes appeared on the screen
brain activity spiked as though the
monkey was experiencing pleasure before
any juice have been released in other
words the qrc in the shapes on the
screen which used to crave in for the
juice this is what makes habits so
powerful and why it can be so difficult
to create new habits such as exercising
more or stop bad habits such as smoking
it's not enough to simply create a cue
routine and reward little such as
putting your running shoes out ready for
the morning going for a run feeling good
from the endorphin rush and sense of
achievement you need to repeat the loop
enough time so that you start craving
those good feelings you get off you're
exercising otherwise the habit won't
stick so how can we change an existing
habit that we don't want anymore
such as reaching for that unhealthy
mid-morning snack as habits never really
disappear we have to keep the existing
cue and reward but insert a new routine
we can change almost any behavior if we
follow this formula first we must work
out all the cues and rewards are so if
you want to stop snacking at work ask
yourself what the reward is that you are
looking for is it to satisfy your hunger
or is it because you're bored and are
looking for a distraction if you are
simply looking for a brief diversion
replace the old routine with a new one
which will achieve the same reward such
as going for a quick walk or having a
chat with a colleague although this
method of change in the routine has
proven to be effective it will often
fail when the stresses of life get too
much this is why people who have
previously quit smoking start again when
life gets too demanding researchers have
found that replacement habits only
become durable in times of difficulty
when belief is involved for a habit to
permanently change you have to believe
that change is possible
and most often that belief only emerges
with the help of a like-minded group
community or in some cases simply a
supportive friend
it's not easy to create new habits or
change existing ones but by
understanding how habits work and using
the support of a community who share
your goals you can greatly increase the
odds of succeeding
[Music]
thanks for watching if you enjoyed this
video and want to learn more about the
science behind habits then check out the
book the power of habit by Charles
Duhigg by clicking the link down in the
description to help support this channel
you can subscribe by clicking here and
watch my previous video about the
marshmallow test by clicking here see
you next time
[Music]
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