The Psychology of Habit Formation

Our habits define who we are. Our habits are developed when the same actions are repeated over a period of time. Habits are not developed mindfully, so they have a positive or negative impact on our lives. Most of the habits are a result of unconscious efforts. If you can understand the psychology of habits in life, you can control what habits should be part of your life and which should be not. This article will help you in learning the psychology of habit formation.

How Habits Are Framed

Physiological and Psychological are the two terms that explain any habit formation. The physiological habits are developed due to our nervous system. When you perform the same activity several times, a nervous connection is formed and the habit is developed. A strengthening connection between the same action and reaction is created, the nervous system learns the process which is also known as habit.

The psychological basis relates to habit formation due to acquired dispositions. According to this theory when an individual learns any process or gains experience, he retains all the things in his mind. This ability to remember things turns into a habit and part of the lifestyle.

Different Types of Habits

The formation of a habit is a process and it is dependent on various factors. Let us learn about the different types of habits and how they are formed.

• Intellectual Habits

These habits are developed through psychological processes. You learn these habits through your intellectual abilities like observation, thinking process, perception, etc.

• Motor Habits

Motor habits are those habits that you develop because of repeated muscular or physical activity. These activities include running, sitting, walking, standing, etc.

• Character Habits

Sometimes, the trait of your character is reflected in the form of a habit. These habits are developed out of feelings and emotions. Some examples of such habits include helping people in need, keeping your surroundings clean, being friendly with others, etc.

When you learn any habit, there is a process behind it. Let us learn about how habits are developed.

How Habits Develop

The process of habit formation is called a habit loop. There are three components to it; cue, routine and reward.

Anything the triggers a particular type of behaviour is called a cue. The cue can be a person, object, feeling, etc. It encourages you to behave in a particular manner and take action towards it.

Habits are not developed overnight. They are developed when you perform similar actions regularly. This process is called routine. Whenever a cue triggers an action, you will follow the routine that your brain has developed. You perform this course of action unconsciously and it becomes your habit.

The third component of habit development is the reward. The reward can be anything positive in your life. And it is because of this reward you tend to repeat the same actions in the form of habit in your life.

Many times while developing a habit, bad habits also become a part of life. The sooner you give up the bad habits, the better it is. In this section of the article, we will help you in getting rid of bad habits.

How to Break Bad Habits

When you develop a habit, it is a loop. The formation of a good or a bad habit has the same process. Since you know the process of formation of a habit, you can break a bad habit with a little effort. The following tips may help you in getting rid of bad habits in life.

• Small Beginnings

Breaking a bad habit at once is not possible. Always make small beginnings to erase out the bad habits. Breaking a bad habit is a long process and you have to take small steps to achieve the target. By being consistent and adjusting your lifestyle will help you in overcoming bad habits.

• Control the Cue

The bad habits become part of your life when you take action to the cue. If you focus on the cue at the beginning, you would not get triggered and let bad habits become part of your life. When bad habits become a part of your life, try to eradicate the cues from your routine. This will help you in giving up the bad habit.

•  Always We Should Focus on One Habit  at one point of time 

Removing all bad habits at once is not possible. Breaking one bad habit requires a good amount of effort and consistency. Therefore, always try to break one bad habit at a time and then move on to the other one. This will help you in avoiding mental stress and break bad habits at a higher success rate.

• Find Replacement for Bad Habits

Breaking a bad habit can become difficult because it may create an empty space in your life. Therefore, it is always good to find a replacement for bad habits so that there is no empty void behind.

Just like breaking a bad habit is important, it is equally important to learn good habits. Here we will guide you in developing good habits.

How to Learn Good Habit

• Willpower

Stronger willpower is one of the ways of developing good habits. When you decide that you want good habits to be a part of your lifestyle, everything is possible. All you need to do is stick to your goals and focus on building good habits. You may fail many times but higher willpower will help you in achieving them.

• Good Company

When you surround yourself with good company, you unconsciously learn good habits. Your surroundings have an important role in what you become. When people around you are good and positive, you will learn good things from them. It will help you in moving in the right direction by learning good habits.

• Make a Routine

Developing a routine will help you in learning the components of a habit. When you do a particular activity regularly, your brain automatically learns to repeat things in the same manner and you can get used to such good habits.

• Identify the Obstacles

When you are trying to develop good habits, you must know all the obstacles that prevent you from following that habit. When you the things that stop you from developing good habits, you would be able to avoid them with ease and focus on developing the new good habit.

The above mentioned are some of the ways of developing good habits. It would not be wrong to say that your habits determine how successful you would be in life. If you polish your habits well then no external factors can stop you from reaching your goals. Therefore, it becomes important to understand the psychology of habit formation so that you can lead a healthier and successful life.