Change of Habit
by Women’s Brain Health Initiative:
HARNESS THE POWER OF HABITS TO IMPROVE BRAIN HEALTH
Sustaining healthy behaviour change is challenging. Even when we understand that a particular change would be good for us (e.g., eating better, exercising more, flossing our teeth), and even if we feel highly motivated to make that change, it is nevertheless difficult to engage in that new behaviour consistently, particularly over the long term. Every now and then, inspiration may strike – perhaps on New Year’s Eve or after a doctor’s appointment – and we declare a commitment to start or stop a particular behaviour. That declaration may be followed by an initial spurt of enthusiastic positive change, but far too often our efforts ultimately wane, and we revert to our usual behaviours.
This starting and stopping may become a pattern as we continue to attempt to make the change permanently “this time,” similar to what happens with yo-yo dieting or addiction relapses, for example. It can be quite discouraging to attempt a change and fail, even more so if it has happened on multiple occasions. As a result, some people give up entirely on even attempting to change anything.
PART OF WHAT MAKES BEHAVIOUR CHANGE SO DIFFICULT IS THE APPROACH THAT PEOPLE COMMONLY USE – NAMELY, RELYING ON MOTIVATION AND WILLPOWER, BOTH OF WHICH ARE HARD TO MAINTAIN CONSISTENTLY.
Even if that approach does succeed, it is taxing and requires us to consciously (and repeatedly) make the right choice. This is not the only approach to behaviour change, though. We can instead try tapping into habit formation.
Our minds form habits naturally – some positive, some neutral, and some negative. Habits are the behaviours we engage in automatically, without any conscious thought about them, in response to various cues that we have come to associate with those behaviours. For example, most people have a set routine of habits that they do each morning on autopilot. Research suggests that approximately half of our everyday behaviours are the result of habit.
Typically, these habits just develop on their own, as a result of sufficient repetition of the behaviour in response to the cue, shaping our lives without us realizing it. Although our usual patterns will continue to unfold automatically if we do not act, we do have the power to change that by choosing which habits to cultivate.
Some effort is required upfront (i.e., to choose a habit and repeat the behaviour until the habit is established), but eventually it becomes almost effortless to perform the desired behaviour. Little to no conscious attention or motivation is required at that point, so the habits just happen and mental resources are freed up for other tasks.
The amount of effort that is required up front will vary.
Research conducted by Dr. Phillippa Lally and colleagues – published in 2010 in European Journal of Social Psychology – found that it takes an average of 66 days to form a new habit, (i.e., to reach a point where performing an action happens automatically, without conscious thought).
However, the range of time varies from 18 days to 254 days. Subsequent research, conducted by Dr. Lally and different colleagues, also found that habit formation varied widely (from four days to 335 days, with a median of 59 days). These later findings were published in 2021 in British Journal of Health Psychology.
“Our findings indicate that there is considerable variation in how long it takes people to form a habit. The time it takes varies depending on a number of factors relating to the individual and the behaviour,” said Dr. Lally, a Senior Research Fellow at University College London who has been studying habit formation for nearly two decades.
“Importantly, these findings highlight that in some cases it can take a very long time to form a habit, much longer than the 21 days many people have heard it takes. That 21-day myth appears to have originated from limited, anecdotal evidence relating to physical changes to your body that was then repeated enough times by enough people for it to become widely believed.”
HOW TO CONSCIOUSLY CULTIVATE HEALTHY HABITS
Below are some tips to help you successfully develop new habits that support your brain health.
CHOOSE THE BEHAVIOUR(S)
Most experts agree that it is best to start small, both in terms of the number of behaviours that you target at a time, and in terms of the size/scope of those behaviours. Some suggest focusing on just one behaviour at a time, and sticking with that behaviour until it feels automatic, before targeting another behaviour. Others suggest that you can focus on several behaviours at a time, but that those behaviours should be small.
One expert, Dr. BJ Fogg, author of Tiny Habits, recommends focusing on very “tiny” habits, e.g., do one push-up a day. By committing to doing something so tiny, it will feel easy, thereby increasing your motivation to do it. Often, once you perform that one small task or action, you may end up doing more. For example, if you only have to do one push-up, then once you start doing it, you may keep going and end up doing ten or more.
EACH ACHIEVEMENT IN BEHAVIOUR CHANGE, NO MATTER HOW SMALL, CAN CONTRIBUTE TO A PERSON’S CONFIDENCE, WHICH IN TURN CAN INCREASE MOTIVATION TO PURSUE FURTHER POSITIVE CHANGES. SMALL CHANGES, DONE SEQUENTIALLY, ACCUMULATE OVER TIME.
“Forming a habit for beginning a behaviour is one way to help people change. The action itself can then be built up over time. For example, if you want to form a habit for going for a walk/run, focus on forming the habit of getting your exercise clothes on and leaving the house at a specific time each day or week. The first time you may only go for a five-minute walk, the next time six minutes and you can slowly increase your speed, but every time you are building the habit of going out to exercise,” explained Dr. Lally.
“People sometimes set out to do too much, too quickly, and don’t think through when these new behaviours will fit in their lives. By making clear plans and building up over time, people can achieve great things in the long term.”
SOME BEHAVIOURS DELIVER A BIGGER “PAYOFF” THAN OTHERS, OFFERING RIPPLE EFFECTS THAT IMPROVE MANY ASPECTS OF LIFE. CHOOSING TO FOCUS ON ONE OF THESE TYPES OF BEHAVIOURS WILL HELP BUILD A STRONG, HEALTHY FOUNDATION.
Four of the "six pillars of brain health" are examples of such keystone, foundational behaviours – namely, sleep, exercise, nutrition, and stress management. Exercise, for instance, helps to improve your brain and cardiovascular health directly, but also decreases stress, improves mood, and gives you energy – all of which help you commit to other positive habits.
So, consider focusing on one of these brain health pillars first if you want to boost the impact of your habit-formation efforts. Be specific about exactly what behaviour you are going to focus on in a particular pillar. For example, do not just commit to exercising more. Instead, commit to a specific type of exercise, of a particular duration, at a particular time.
CHOOSE THE CUE
Habits form when a behaviour is repeated consistently in response to a particular cue (i.e., doing the behaviour again and again in the same situation such as drinking a glass of water with every meal or pausing for three mindful breaths everyday upon waking).
THE CUE IS ESSENTIAL TO HABIT FORMATION BECAUSE IT IS WHAT TRIGGERS THE BEHAVIOUR AUTOMATICALLY.
Without it, you are back to relying on motivation and willpower, and the behaviour is not actually a habit.
“To develop a habit, it’s essential that you choose the context in which you will consistently perform the behaviour. That context can be any cue, for example, an event, such as when you get to work, or a time of day, such as after breakfast,” explained Dr. Lally. “Whatever cue you choose needs to be something that is encountered in your life consistently so that it can reliably trigger the desired behaviour.”
REPEAT THE BEHAVIOUR CONSISTENTLY
Repetition is a key ingredient in new habit formation, especially in the early stages. Habits become stronger with repetition. For many habits, the strength of the habit grows rapidly in the beginning and then levels off. In other words, the early repetitions are especially important to getting the habit established.
THE MORE OFTEN YOU REPEAT A BEHAVIOUR, THE FASTER A HABIT IS ESTABLISHED.
Accordingly, those behaviours that you engage in on a daily basis or even multiple times a day “can become habitual more quickly than things you do once a week or once a month,” Dr. Lally continued.
Consistency is important, so aim to do the same behaviour in response to the same cue every time. If you vary the cue (e.g., change the timing of when you do the behaviour), you will weaken the habit, and will need to rely on motivation and willpower. You do not have to achieve perfect consistency to develop a habit, though.
“If you miss the occasional opportunity to do your chosen behaviour, you do not significantly impact the habit formation process,” said Dr. Lally. “So, don’t be concerned if you miss your behaviour once in a while. That doesn’t appear to undermine your progress, as long as you get right back to doing the behaviour. However, multiple omissions of the behaviour will impede the habit formation process.”
Some people find it helpful to track their target behaviours to encourage consistency.
It can be inspiring to see how many times you can repeat a behaviour without “breaking the chain.” Some people record their behaviours in a notebook, and others use habit-tracking mobile applications. (Women’s Brain Health Initiative has recently launched an app that helps assist people in developing habits that support brain health as they age. You can check it out at womensbrainhealth.org/brainfit).
ADJUST YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Our behaviour is heavily influenced by our surroundings, whether we realize it or not. Other people and our physical environment can support or undermine our behaviour change efforts. While you cannot control everything about your surroundings, there are lots of things that you can do to adjust your environment to make it more supportive. For example:
· If you want to remember to eat an apple for a morning snack, display the apples in a prominent location in a beautiful bowl on the counter. (It can also help to get unhealthy choices out of the house, or at least hide them out of sight.)
· If you want to go for a walk every day after dinner, find a neighbour that is committed to going as well, and perhaps buy yourself a comfortable pair of new shoes and store them in an easy-to-access location.
· If you want to meditate first thing upon waking but your current habit is to look at your phone, place the phone in another room before you go to bed to remove that temptation.
BUILD IN ACCOUNTABILITY IF THAT INSPIRES YOU
Some people do better at engaging in a new behaviour if there is some level of accountability involved. Consider seeking opportunities to be accountable to others, perhaps by hiring a personal trainer or nutritionist, or by joining a running group. Alternatively, you might just be accountable to yourself, perhaps boosting your motivation to stick with your plan by sharing your intentions publicly.
BE KIND TO YOURSELF & REASSESS IF NECESSARY
Occasional setbacks are inevitable. When they happen, let your internal “voice” be understanding, and just get right back at it. Remember, research shows that missing a behaviour occasionally does not completely undermine the automaticity of the habit. Progress is the goal, not perfection.
If you continuously fail to establish a particular habit, you could consider adjusting the chosen behaviour (perhaps making it smaller) or choosing an entirely different behaviour that could still support your goals (e.g., maybe you are just not into jogging but would love dancing).
“The more you enjoy a behaviour, the faster you will form a habit. So, choose things that you like to do or add elements to make them even more enjoyable,” noted Dr. Lally.
“For example, I like to listen to audiobooks when I run, so even if I’m not feeling like running, I look forward to it because I want to hear what happens next in my book.”
MAKE TIME FOR HEALTHY HABITS
Sometimes we do not even attempt to adopt a new habit because we think that we do not have the time. If that is the case for you, pause to ask yourself, whether or not that is really true. Certainly, some people do have very full schedules, but many people do not so much lack the time as they lack sufficient energy or motivation.
Consider switching up what you do with your leisure time.
Do you spend a lot of your spare time sedentary with your eyes glued to a screen? (Canadians are reported to spend more than 22 hours a week watching television, and more than four hours a day on mobile applications.) People who watch a lot of television or spend a substantial amount of time on their phones have time to incorporate more healthy behaviours into their day.
Use conscious habit-formation to shift your patterns away from screens to something else, or pair your screen time with other activities, e.g., walk on the treadmill while watching a show or movie. There are so many things that you could do to support your brain health in enjoyable ways with repurposed leisure time – exercising, meditating, reading books, socializing, doing puzzles, playing an instrument, taking a course, cooking healthy food, and/or simply getting more sleep!
START NOW
Do not wait until some ideal future time to introduce a positive new behaviour.
NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME, ESPECIALLY IF YOU CHOOSE SMALL, SIMPLE ACTIONS TO GET STARTED.
Remember that if you harness the power of habits to change your behaviour, you only have to stay highly motivated during the time that it takes to establish the habit. After that, engaging in the new behaviour gets progressively easier.
“Knowledge on its own is not enough to change behaviour. Knowing what you should do does not always translate into actually doing it. Habits, when developed consciously, are an incredible way to support gradual, lasting, easier change,” said Dr. Lally.
“Simply be clear about what you will do and in what situation, and then do it consistently. Over time, the habit will get stronger and stronger until the behaviour becomes ‘second nature.’ Set a reminder to check in once a week to see how your new habits are going and adjust your plans if needed. Just take it one day at a time, and if you keep at it, you could find that you’ve transformed into someone who has a whole repertoire of healthy habits.”