- About 40% of what you do every day is pretty much the same things, in the same situations, as you did yesterday… and the day before that… and the day before that.
- We establish patterns of behavior that allow us to reach our goals and then we do it again…wash rinse and repeat.
- In a recent study participants were given the tough task of tasting popcorn (hard work!), and as expected, preferred fresh popcorn over stale popcorn. However, when given the popcorn in a movie theater they ate just as much of the stale popcorn as they did the fresh.
- So if you want to change a bad habit?
- Change Environmental Cues for Existing Habits: someone who moves or changes jobs has the perfect opportunity to remove old cues, or if eating healthier is the goal – rearrange your fridge so the junk food is somewhere else,
- Allow for Time to Make the Change, Repetition is Key: it can take up to 254 days to form a new habit; and
- Link Good Habits Together: if you want to floss more, make brushing your teeth always the cue for flossing after.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-08/sfpa-hwf080714.php
