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Habit Formation > The Anatomy Of A Habit: Cue, Routine And Reward > Flashcards

The Anatomy Of A Habit: Cue, Routine And Reward Flashcards

1
Q

What is a habit?

A

A Habit is a learned behavior that has become automatic over time.

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2
Q

How are habits formed?

A

Habits are formed when certain neural pathways in the brain become strengthened.

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3
Q

What are the three components of a Habit?

A
  1. Cue
  2. Routine
  3. Reward
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4
Q

What is the role of cue in habit formation?

A

Cues are the trigger that initiates the behavior and activate the habit loop.

Cues can be internal or external.

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5
Q

What is the role of routine in habit formation

A

Routine refers to the actual behavior or action that happens in response to a cue. The habit itself.

Routines can be physical or mental actions

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6
Q

What is the role of rewards in habit formation?

A

Rewards reinforce the behavior.

Rewards come in many forms:
- internal/external
- tangible/intagible
- immediate/delayed

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7
Q

What rewards are more effective in the role of habit formation?

A

What rewards are more effective depends on individual preferences, however tangible rewards tend to be more effective than intagible rewards

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8
Q

What is a craving and what role does cravings have during habit formation?

A

A craving is the anticipation of the reward when the cue is perceived.

Receiving a reward releases dopamine and an association is formed between the cue and the reward. The more engagement the stronger the association.

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9
Q

We can categorize the different roles in habit formation in 2 distinct phases.

A
  • The problem phase
  • The solution phase
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10
Q

What are the three things habit formation rely on?

A
  • Obvious cues
  • Easy routines
  • Satisfying rewards
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11
Q

What is neuroplasticity?

A

Neuroplasticity - the ability of the nervous system to perform an activity in response to a cue.

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12
Q

What is the role of neuroplasticity in habit formation?

A

Repitition of a behavior strenghtens the neural pathways in the brain. If strong enough behavior becomes automatic.

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13
Q

Do all the different parts of the brain help with the same habits?

A

No, different parts of the brain are involved in different habits.

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14
Q

Which part of the brain is involved in the formation of motor-based habits?

A

The basal ganglia

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15
Q

Which part of the brain is involved in the formation of cognitive-based habits?

A

The prefrontal cortex.

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16
Q

What is classical conditioning?

A

Classical conditioning is a type of learning that says that neutral stimulus become associated with unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

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17
Q

What is a UCS?

A

Ucs or unconditioned stimulus is a stimulus that triggers a response without any prior learning.

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18
Q

Why is consistency important for habit formation?

A

When performing an action, previous stored patterns of neural activity called memory traces are used. The more we repeat the behavior the stronger the neural pathways. If we stop doing the behavior the memory traces lose strength and the behavior become less automatic. Reason why consistency is so important for habit formation. Memory traces lose strength over time but are never completely forgotten

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19
Q

How does our physical and social environment play a role in habit formation?

A
  • Environmental cues as visual reminders can trigger memories associated with particular habits.
  • The people around us who practice certain habits can influence us. This is called social proof.
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20
Q

What is social proof?

A

Social proof is a psychological concept that says that people are influenced in their decisions by others.

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21
Q

What is an addiction?

A

An addiction is a compulsive behavior difficult to controle.

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22
Q

What is the similarities and difference between a habit and an addiction?

A
  • Both habits and addictions involve forming neural pathways.
  • People who have an addiction experience extreme cravings that override their ability to make rational decisions.
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23
Q

What is dopamine?

A

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter released each time we experience or anticipate pleasure.

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24
Q

Which part of the brain releases dopamine?

A

The nucleus accumbens

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25
Q

What is the relationship between the release of dopamine and addiction?

A

An addiction is linked to the speed and intensity release of dopamine. Addiction can lead to the desentization of the dopamine receptors which leads to the craving of higher dosis to receive the same amount of pleasure.

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26
Q

What are the two ways to treat addiction?

A
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - therapy that treat addictions by helping people identify and change negative thought patterns contributimg to addictive behavior.
  • Using your energy for alternative healthy habits instead of the addiction
27
Q

What is essential in identifying and breaking bad habits?

A

Self-awareness

28
Q

What is self-awareness?

A

Self-awareness is when we reflect on ourselves. Understanding the underlying behavior, feelings, motivations, and triggers behind our habits.

29
Q

What is the main way to identify our bad habits?

A

By observing ourselves. Paying attention to our thoughts and actions throughout the day and when we engage in bad habits and writing them down in a journal.

30
Q

What are triggers?

A

Triggers are stimuli that causes us to act in a certain way.

A trigger can be a particular environment, person, time of day, emotional state and even stress.

31
Q

When do triggers have the greatest impact?

A

Triggers have the greatest impact when we are tired, mentally taxed, distracted or stressed. In those time we rely more on our habits and less on willpower.

32
Q

How do we identify our triggers?

A
  • By keeping track and paying attention to the thoughts and feelings associated with the negative behavior and correlations between different activities.
  • Considering what we get out of the bad habits, the hidden rewards. The motivations we are unaware of have the biggest impact.
33
Q

How do we identify the hidden rewards and break bad habits?.

A
  • Keep track and write down when we engage in bad habits and happened immediately before and after.
  • Ask yourself why you are performing the bad behavior. What do I get out of it and what would happen if I stopped
  • Experiment with alternative healthy rewards
34
Q

What are the three best ways to break bad habits?

A
  • Replacing them with alternative healthy habits.
  • Having a support system to hold us accountable.
  • Celebrating every small progress.
35
Q

How long does it take to form a habit or get used to a plastic surgery?

A

A minimum of 21 days.

36
Q

How long does it take for a new habit to become automatic?

A

Depending on the person and the complexity habit it can take from 18 to 254 days.

37
Q

How do we set realistic expectations when forming habits to not be demotivated?

A
  • Focus on progress not perfection. Celebrate small achievements.
  • Avoid comparisons.
  • Be patient and make timeliness reasonable
38
Q

What are S.M.A.R.T goals?

A
  • Specific, goals are clear and unambiguous.
  • Measurable, possible to track progress over time.
  • Achievable, goal should be within reach with a healthy amount of effort and dedication.
  • Relevant, goals align with your values, interest and long term objectives.
  • Time-bound, deadline attached to goal.
39
Q

How do we make big goals more reachable?

A

By breaking larger goals into smaller easier and essential steps that will build up towards the larger changes we want to see. For example instead of hardcore exercise start with walking 5-10 min a day.

40
Q

What is the if-then (implementations intentions) strategy?

A

The if-then strategy, a cue is associated with an action which increases the likelihood of completing the desired behavior when faced with distractions and temptations.

E.G if I want to play a match of valorant then I read 1 page first.

41
Q

What are habit triggers?

A

Habit triggers are cues that remind us of our desired habit and increase the likelihood of completing it.

42
Q

What are the 5 main types of habit triggers?

A
  • location based, associating a certain place with a desired habit.
  • time based, associating a specific time with a desired habit.
  • emotion based, associating emotions with a desired habit.
  • people based, associating other people actions with a desired habit.
  • action based, associating certain tasks and activities with a desired habit.
43
Q

What is habit stacking?

A

Habit stacking is the linking of new habits with existing automatic habits so it becomes easier to remember, maintain and complete. Just like if-then but with linking new habits with existing habits instead of time or locations etc.

44
Q

What does focusing on the gain instead of the gap mean?

A

Focusing on the gain instead of the gap means comparing all the progress (the gain) we made to where we started instead of where we want to end up (the gap) to prevent dissatisfaction. The journey is an accomplishment itself than just a means to an end.

45
Q

What is the valley of disappointment?

A

The period of time when progress is slow or nonexistent.

This is a tests to our resilience and determination after the initial excitement and motivation wane when reality of the effort and discipline required of the habit sets in.

46
Q

How do we deal with the valley of disappointment?

A
  • Adjust expectations and embrace the fact progress takes time
  • developing a continuous improvement mindset, mistakes, failures and setbacks are chances to grow and learn.
47
Q

How do we perform mindfulness?

A
  1. Close our eyes and pay attention to our breathing and its rhythm.
  2. Center ourself in the present moment.
  3. Focus attention on our senses and take in as much information from our environment like sounds and fragrance
  4. Let go of any thoughts and distractions.
48
Q

What are the four benefits to mindfulness?

A
  • decrease stress levels.
  • helps with emotional regulation by observing emotions without being overwhelmed.
  • Improves Cognitive functions as memory recall and decision-making skills by increasing focus and attention span.
  • Increased empathy toward others.
49
Q

What are the three ways mindfulness is effective for habit formation?

A
  • Mindfulness helps people become more aware of their thoughts and feelings allowing us to better recognize triggers and cues associated with certain habits.
  • promotion of relaxation and increasing positive emotions we are more likely to engage in healthy habits that support our happiness.
  • Increasing motivation by helping us focus on the positives on the task and helps us overcome procrastination.
50
Q

How does Mindfulness help in breaking bad habits.

A

Through mindfulness we become more self-aware and understanding our own thoughts like, feelings and behaviours, which allows us to identify patterns in our behavior.

51
Q

What are the four steps to perform mindfull relaxation to sleep better?

A
  • perform mindfullness
  • Deep breathing exercises
  • Progressive muscle relaxation
  • Guided imagery
52
Q

What is the difference between willpower and motivation.

A
  • Willpower, the ability to resist temptation or overcome obstacles to achieve a goal.
  • Motivation, an intrinsic or extrinsic force that drives us toward our goals

Willpower provides inner strength while Motivation provides encouragement along the way.

53
Q

What are the 2 different Motivation types?

A
  • Intrinsic motivation, performing an action because it aligns with your values and goals
  • Extrinsic motivation, performing an action with receiving a pleasurable or avoiding a negative reward at the end.
54
Q

Do we focus on willpower or motivation first when forming habits?

A

Willpower. Relying solely on motivation is a recipe for disaster because motivation is a fleeting thing and unpredictable. Action is key in habit formation after all habits require repitition and consistency and that can only be achieved with repeatedly performing regardless of how we feel.

Also our mind and body share an intimate bidirectional relationship. When ww act first with our bodies our minds tends to follow.

55
Q

Is willpower alone enough to form a habit?

A

Willpower alone is not enough because of ego depletion. Willpower needs to be supported in other ways in habit formation through enviromental cues and finding social support.

56
Q

What is ego depletion?

A

Our willpower is a finite resource that can be depleted over time when used too much. When faced with difficult decisions or tasks our ability to make rational choices decreases as our willpower reserves become depleted.

57
Q

What does environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior mean?

A

Many of our daily actions are just a response to our environment. This knowledge can be applied for forming habits through environmental cues

58
Q

How do we use or environment in the formation of habits?

A

Putting visual cues that remind us to perform our goals in our environment. This decreases the amount of willpower and self-control needed.

For example if you want to read a book put it in close proximity that you always see it.

59
Q

What is temptation bundling?

A

It is the making of behaviours with delayed benefits more instantly gratifying by linking an activity we enjoy with a less pleasant one. High probability behaviors can be used to reinforce low probability behaviors.

60
Q

Why is habit stacking so effective?

A

Habit stacking is so effective because it leverages existing neural connections in our brains which makes the building of habits easier. Habits stacking is also effective by breaking bad habits by linking it with something we don’t like doing.

No behavior happens without a trigger, but by intentionally anchoring a new behavior to an old one we get to choose that trigger.

61
Q

How do we create a habit stacking plan?

A

By Identifying the existing habits that we want to link new habits to.

62
Q

What are the 3 elements that make up a habit stacking routine?

A
  1. Each habit takes less than 5 minutes to complete.
  2. It is a complete specific habit. So do 5 jumping Jack’s instead of exercise
  3. the entire routine takes less than 30 minutes to complete
63
Q

Important things to know about successful habit stacking?

A
  • Imprtant to start with small existing habits like getting out of bed to make consistency easier.
  • Start small with the new habits we want to form.
  • Don’t stack too many new habits on one existing habit. Instead try to find individual triggers for each new habit to keep mental link between the two habits stronger.
  • Choose an existing habit with the same frequency as your desired one. It is not effective to choose an existing habit that only happens in the weekend if we want to do the new habit.

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