Habit Formation Science.

The process of building habits is driven by a neurological loop in the brain called “The Habit Loop."

The habit loop consists of three elements:

1. Cue: The trigger or reminder for the behavior to start. This could be a time of day, location, preceding action, emotion, or something else in your environment.
2. Routine: The behavior itself - the habit you want to build or the action you take when the cue arises.
3. Reward: The positive reinforcement that satisfies a craving and motivates the brain to assign importance to the loop, making it more automatic over time.

Negative Examples.

Junk Food

• Cue: Feeling bored after dinner
• Routine: Grabbing a bag of chips from the kitchen cabinet and mindlessly eating in front of the TV
• Reward: Satisfying the cravings for an effortless distraction and tasty food

In this loop, having chips easily accessible in the home sets the environment for the routine to be cued by boredom after a meal.

Smoking

• Cue: Having morning coffee
• Routine: Stepping outside, taking out a cigarette and lighter, and smoking
• Reward: Temporary relief from cravings and mild stimulation from the nicotine In this loop, the morning coffee ritual becomes the entrenched cue that triggers the smoking routine.

Pornography

• Cue: Being in front of the computer in a private room late at night
• Routine: Opening an incognito browser window and visiting pornographic websites
• Reward: Dopamine release from sexual stimulation and perceived relief from negative emotions

Positive Examples

Morning Exercise

• Cue: Alarm goes off at 6am, it's far enough from the bed that you have to get up.
• Routine: Putting on workout clothes laid out the night before and going for a 30-minute jog around the neighborhood
• Reward: A sense of accomplishment and endorphin release from exercise

In this loop, preparing the workout clothes ahead of time reduces friction in the morning. The cue of the alarm is optimized to initiate the exercise routine, as it works as a forcing function, as you have to get out of bed to turn it off.

Meditation Example

• Cue: Setting a daily phone reminder for 7am
• Routine: Finding a quiet space, setting a meditation timer app, and practicing breathwork/mindfulness for 10 minutes
• Reward: Feeling more centered, present, and less stressed to start the day

In this loop, the phone reminder cue is used to trigger the routine of carving out time for a daily meditation practice. The reward is the peaceful mind-state achieved.

Reading Example

• Cue: Winding down routine before bed by dimming lights and getting in comfortable clothes
• Routine: Curling up in a cozy chair with a book for 30 minutes of reading
• Reward: Satisfying intellectual curiosity, stress relief through detachment

Here the pre-bed routine establishes cues that make grabbing a book and reading feel like a natural evening ritual. The rewards are mental enrichment and relaxation.

How Habits Form

When a cue causes you to perform a routine repeatedly, and that routine is followed by a reward, a neurological pattern gets etched into your brain's structure. The loop becomes increasingly automatic through this cycle of cue, routine, reward.

The basal ganglia, a part of the brain involved in the formation of habits and routines, starts recognizing the pattern. As the behavior is repeated, less conscious effort is needed to initiate and complete the routine when given the cue.

The Role of Cravings

Cravings, driven by the brain's dopamine reward system, are what give us the motivation to follow through on the loop. The cravings that lead us to form habits are often for things like avoiding pain, conserving energy, seeking pleasure, or gaining status/approval. By figuring out what craving is driving a behavior, and delivering an appropriate reward to satisfy it, we can make habits stick more effectively.

The Power of Environment

Environmental cues and context play a huge role in habit formation. Our brain continuously picks up on cues and triggers from our surroundings. By consciously molding our environment, we can leverage these cues to our advantage in building new habits. In summary, habits emerge through a neurological loop of cue, routine, reward. As the loop is repeated, it gets wired more deeply into our brains. Understanding and optimizing this process is key to effectively creating new habits.