Why is it so hard to break a bad habit?
Billions of people deal with a nail-biting
habit at some point in their lives.
Many will go to great lengths
to try to stop,
employing strategies like rubbing
chili peppers on their cuticles,
wearing gloves all day,
dipping their hands in salt,
and envisioning bacteria crawling
on their fingers.
And while not all of us are nail-biters,
most of us do have a habit
we'd like to kick.
So what's the best way to break one?
Scientists define habits as behaviors
that are performed regularly,
and cued subconsciously in response
to certain environments,
whether it be a location, time of day,
or even an emotional state.
They can include simple actions
like picking your hair when stressed,
but also more complex practices ingrained
in daily routines,
like staying up late
or brewing your coffee in the morning.
If you do something frequently,
without much deliberation,
then it’s likely a habit.
They form because at some point your brain
learns that the behavior is beneficial.
Let's say after opening a stressful email,
you bite your nails.
This is rewarding,
as it’s enough to focus your attention,
curbing your email fueled anxiety.
Within your brain, positive experiences
can trigger the release of dopamine,
a neurotransmitter that mediates
feelings of pleasure.
Dopamine is also a driver
of neuroplasticity,
meaning it can change
how your neurons wire and fire.
Your brain builds connections
that link the reward with the behavior,
driving you to repeat it.
It also starts associating the behavior
with other cues, like your environment.
Eventually, all it takes is the context
of sitting at your desk
to subconsciously trigger
a nail-biting habit—
no stressful email
or sense of relief required.
Once established,
these cue-behavior-reward loops work fast,
outpacing the decision-making process.
You may find yourself
engaging in a habit
before you have the chance
to notice and stop.
But this can be a good thing
because not all habits are bad.
They’re stored memories
of what’s worked in the past,
which allow you to take swift
action in the present.
One study estimated that on average,
people spend more than 40% of their days
performing regularly repeated behaviors
while their minds are occupied
with other thoughts.
A seemingly automated morning routine,
for example,
saves you both time
and precious mental energy.
Still, many people have habits
that no longer serve them.
Yet research shows that intentions alone
often fail
to lead to long-term behavior change.
This isn’t to say you can’t break a habit.
Rather, by understanding
the basis of habits,
you can create better plans
for changing them.
For example, we know habits are often
cued by environments and routines.
Lying in bed may cause you to endlessly
scroll through your phone,
or watching TV on the couch may lead
you to grab a sugary snack.
One of the most effective ways
to manage behavior
is to identify these locations
or times of day.
Then try to modify them
by changing your routine
or creating obstacles that make
it more difficult to perform the habit
in that space.
Moving, switching jobs,
or even starting a new schedule,
are particularly great times
to break a habit or build a new one.
One 2005 study tracked university
students’ exercising,
reading, and TV watching habits
before and after they transferred schools.
When students were no longer around
old environments and routines,
their habits, even the strong ones,
significantly changed.
For behaviors like nail-biting
or hair-pulling,
a practice called habit reversal training
can be helpful.
Developed by psychologists in the 1970s,
the aim is to change a habit
by replacing it with another one
that’s less detrimental.
The training requires you to analyze
and understand your habit cues,
so you can effectively intervene
at the right times.
For example, if you tend to bite
your nails at work,
preemptively keep a fidget toy
at your desk.
Then, if a stressful email comes in,
use the toy when you feel
the urge to bite your nails.
Breaking a habit takes time,
so remember to give yourself grace
and have patience through the process.
And while many focus on their bad habits,
it’s also worth celebrating the good ones
that help us move swiftly and successfully
through our daily routines.
