The secret habits that control your life | Wendy Wood

Summary

Behavioral scientist Wendy Wood explores the psychology of habits, emphasizing their subconscious nature and impact on human behavior. She discusses a study where altering the speed of elevator doors prompted a habit change towards using stairs, illustrating the concept of 'Friction' in habit formation. Wood highlights the role of rewards and dopamine in habit formation, the importance of environmental cues, and how rituals and habits provide a sense of control and meaning in life, especially for high-level athletes.

Takeaways

• 🐾 Habits have been undervalued in psychology, often seen as too simplistic for human behavior.
• 🧠 Despite popular belief, habits don't involve much conscious thought, similar to how dogs learn.
• 👩‍🔬 Wendy Wood, a behavioral scientist, studies habits and their difficulty in changing.
• 🏢 An office building study showed that simply convincing people to use stairs didn't work, but a practical change (slowing elevator doors) did.
• 🚶‍♂️ The study demonstrated that habits can form and persist even after the initial change (elevator speed) is reverted.
• 🔧 'Friction' in psychology refers to barriers like distance, time, and effort that influence our habits.
• 💡 Our habits are stored in a memory system that is resistant to change, emphasizing the need for repeated behavior to alter habits.
• 🌟 Rewards and dopamine play a crucial role in reinforcing behaviors and forming habits.
• 🏡 Changing habits requires an environment that supports the desired behaviors, as seen with professional chefs preparing their stations.
• 🏆 Rituals and habits are intertwined, providing a sense of control and confidence, as exemplified by professional athletes.
• 🧘‍♂️ Being in familiar environments where habits are established allows for effective multitasking and a deeper understanding of our surroundings.

Q & A

What is the general perception of habits in psychology?

Habits have a somewhat negative reputation in psychology, as they were initially viewed as too limited to apply to human performance due to their association with the unconscious learning observed in animals like dogs.

How does Wendy Wood define habits in the context of human behavior?

Wendy Wood, a behavioral scientist, describes habits as behaviors that people act on more than they are aware of, which do not involve much conscious thought and are difficult to change.

What was the initial approach taken by researchers to encourage the use of stairs in an office building?

The initial approach was to put up signs promoting the health benefits of taking the stairs and discouraging the use of elevators, but this had no effect on people's behavior.

What creative solution did researchers implement to reduce elevator use?

Researchers slowed the closing of the elevator door by 16 seconds, which was enough to dissuade people and reduced elevator use by a third.

How did the change in elevator door speed affect the long-term behavior of the office workers?

After the elevator door speed was returned to normal, people continued to take the stairs because they had formed a habit, demonstrating the power of forming new behaviors.

What is the term used by psychologists to describe barriers to performing a behavior?

Psychologists refer to these barriers as 'Friction,' which includes factors like distance, time, and effort that influence the repetition and formation of habits.

Why do people often believe that going to the gym is due to their concern for fitness and willpower?

People attribute gym attendance to conscious reasons like fitness concerns and willpower because it feels like a rational way to change habits, despite habits being largely unconscious and formed through repetition and rewards.

How are habits stored in our memory system according to the script?

Habits are stored in a memory system that we do not have access to, which is designed to secure the most important information and protect it from change.

What role does dopamine play in the formation of habits?

Dopamine is released in the brain when we get a reward, which motivates us to repeat behaviors, leading to the formation of habits.

Why is it important to consider the environment when trying to change habits?

The environment plays a crucial role in behavior change because habits reorganize the way we store information in memory and form associations between contexts, making it easier to achieve goals when the environment supports them.

How do rituals and habits relate, and what benefits do they provide to professional athletes?

Rituals have a habit component and provide a sense of control and confidence to professional athletes because they involve repeated actions that are performed successfully, allowing them to effectively multitask and maintain focus.