How to Break a Habit, According to Neuroscience

If you’re having a hard time improving your habits, says neuroscientist Judson Brewer, tuning in to your inner reward system is key.

Adobe Stock/ Julia Tim

Q.

I’ve been struggling with my habits—trying to break some unhealthy ones, and make some healthier ones. I need some help staying the course though—why is this so hard?

A.

Let’s look at how the mind actually works when it comes to forming (and maintaining) habits. They have a simple, consistent formula: there’s a trigger, there’s an accompanying behavior, and there’s a result or reward.

Being in habit mode is like being on autopilot. So, first gear is recognizing what our habits are. Paying attention is second gear—exploring and understanding the rewards that come from our behaviors.

If we’re constantly checking our phones, for instance, we might compare the rewards of that behavior to how our live interactions with people feel. When we notice how our phones can pull our attention away from where we actually are, we might also notice that the reward value of checking our phones (say, every five minutes) diminishes further.

This is where mindfulness can help. So, what feels better? Responding to my phone? Or staying with the conversation I’m already in with this person sitting across from me?

Once we start to examine relative rewards, we naturally begin to recalibrate and change our behavior. And it’s not from forcing ourselves to change. It emerges from bringing kind, curious awareness to what we’re experiencing to alter our relationship to these all-too-human experiences

read more

Calm

How to Change Your Habits with Mindfulness 

Learn about the mechanics of habit formation and observe them at work in your mind and body. By bringing awareness, and injecting curiosity and kindness into the process, you’ll be able to reevaluate and change your habits. Read More 

  • Mindful Staff
  • August 13, 2021
Daily Gratitude
Compassion

How to Make Gratitude a Daily Habit 

It’s easy to focus on what we want rather than what we have. But when we shift our awareness to the present moment, we begin finding moments of gratitude in everyday life. Read More 

  • Eric Langshur and Nate Klemp
  • November 1, 2021