Week 9: Habits, Willpower, Fatigue

Question 1

what are habits?

Answer 1

mental shortcuts- behaviours that we do without thinking over and over again

Question 2

what percentage of what we do is on autopilot?

Answer 2

43%

Question 3

What are the 4 components of habit formation?

Answer 3

1.context
2.reward
3. routine
4. friction

Question 4

what is the introspection illusion?

Answer 4

belief that conscious planning will lead to goals/build new habits through willpower and determination

Question 5

who is the researcher that did work on introspection illusion?

Answer 5

Wood (2019)

Question 6

what do you need to do to actually achieve goals/habits according to the introspection illusion?

Answer 6

control context by adding or removing friction + repetition

Question 7

what does Weir (2012) APA website say about willpower?

Answer 7

willpower is the ability to resist short-term temptations in order to meet long term goals

Question 8

What is willpower?

Answer 8

delayed gratification, impulse control, self regulation and it is a limited resource that can be depleted

Question 9

what does context refer to?

Answer 9

cue to act

Question 10

what does reward refer to?

Answer 10

our incentive to act; the why, can be intrinsic and must be immediate

Question 11

what does routine refer to?

Answer 11

the behaviour itself

Question 12

what does friction refer to?

Answer 12

obstacles or clear path

Question 13

what does organizing your context mean?

Answer 13

anything and everything around you- location, time of day, people, mood, temptations, motivations

Question 14

what is the physiological process of reward driving habits?

Answer 14

dopamine spikes predispose brain to anticipate and crave behaviour- association builds habit

Question 15

What did Neal et al. (2011) demonstrate about habits and rewards?

Answer 15

habits can persist even when the reward is no longer desirable. In their study, subjects ate stale popcorn while watching a movie out of habit, despite not liking it.

Question 16

How does the brain store routines as mental shortcuts?

Answer 16

The brain stores routines in the sensory motor system by chunking specific behaviors that lead to rewards. This helps ensure success in earning the reward next time, as the brain enjoys the reward so much.

Question 17

What is “stacking your habits,” and how can it help build new habits?

Answer 17

“Stacking your habits” involves using an existing habit as a cue to start a new one. For example, brushing your teeth or drinking your first cup of coffee can serve as a reminder to take your medication.

Question 18

What does it mean to “swap your habits,” and how can it help break bad habits?

Answer 18

Swapping your habits” means replacing a bad habit with a similar but goal-aligned behavior. For example, eat fruit instead of ice cream after dinner or go for a walk instead of stepping outside to smoke or vape.

Question 19

What is “friction” in the context of behavior and goals?

Answer 19

Friction refers to factors like proximity, barriers, timing, and effort that influence how easy or difficult it is to behave in accordance with your goals.

Question 20

How can driving and restraining forces help you use friction effectively?

Answer 20

Driving forces: Recognize things that make it easier to act in line with your goals.

Restraining forces: Use obstacles to make it harder to give in to temptations and easier to stick to your goals.

Question 21

What are examples of increasing friction to reduce undesired behaviors?

Answer 21

-Insert friction to cigarette access (e.g., taxes, bans, placing them behind counters).
-Delete social media apps to avoid checking them.
-Turn off your phone and use a watch to avoid checking the time on your phone.
-Reduce the number of open tabs on your screen.

Question 22

What is “increasing friction,” and how can it help change behaviors?

Answer 22

Increasing friction involves adding obstacles or barriers to make undesirable behaviors harder to engage in, helping you align with your goals.

Question 23

What are “keystone habits,” and why are they important?

Answer 23

Keystone habits are foundational behaviors that can trigger positive changes in other areas of life. They help create structure and promote overall well-being.

Question 24

What are examples of keystone habits?

Answer 24

-Keeping to a sleep schedule
-Organizing your day
-Preparing meals in advance
-Exercising regularly
Meditating daily

Question 25

Which researcher did work on keystone habits?

Answer 25

Duhigg (2012)

Question 26

You need to repeat an action 21 times for it to become automatic? True/False?

Answer 26

False- its a myth

Question 27

What other things can help with building habits?

Answer 27

-accountability & support from a friend
-Identify someone elseʼs habit and ʻhitch a ride on their habitʼ
until you are ready to solo

Question 28

What was the conclusion of the Nurses Research study regarding behavior change?

Answer 28

Shaping the path to change behavior was very effective. The orange vests acted as friction, preventing interruptions while nurses administered medications. No self-control or willpower was needed; people simply responded to the bright orange vest as a cue to act accordingly.

Question 29

What is decision fatigue, according to Vohs, Baumeister, et al. (2005)?

Answer 29

Decision fatigue is the idea that making choices can be mentally effortful and deplete cognitive resources, leading to poorer decision-making over time.

Question 30

How does Baumeister describe willpower, and what is its connection to habits?

Answer 30

Baumeister describes willpower as a form of energy. Habits, as mental shortcuts (according to Wendy Wood), help conserve this energy by reducing the need for constant decision-making.

Question 31

How can scaling down choices help conserve energy and improve decision-making?

Answer 31

Scaling down choices involves sticking to habits and pre-decisions to reduce the number of decisions you must make.
eg. doing hardest/most creative work first, as suggested by Cal Newport, helps conserve energy and avoid depleting decisions throughout the day.

Question 32

What is the difference between physical tiredness and decision fatigue?

Answer 32

The key difference is that with decision fatigue, you are often unaware of the mental depletion. This can lead to two outcomes:

1. Becoming reckless by ignoring risks and acting on impulse.
2. Doing nothing and hoping for the best.

Question 33

What is the framework that guards against decision fatigue (Youtube Vid)

Answer 33

V.A.R.I.

Question 34

What does VARI stand for?

Answer 34

values
automation
rational decision making
intuition

Question 35

What did Danziger et al. (2011) find about decision fatigue and parole decisions?

Answer 35

Danziger et al. (2011) found that judges’ parole decisions were influenced by the time of day and whether they had a break (including a meal or snack) before making decisions. Glucose intake, from food or snacks, temporarily reduced decision fatigue.

Question 36

What were the conclusions of the Vohs, Baumeister & Tweng (2005) study on decision fatigue?

Answer 36

The study concluded that decision fatigue from making numerous small choices reduced mental energy, impairing the ability to use self-discipline. This depletion of mental energy makes it harder to exercise self-control in other tasks, like keeping hands in ice water.

Question 37

what is the most effective way of breaking an old habit?

Answer 37

swapping behaviours