Old Habits Die Hard: The Science of Behavior Change

Habits are good. And habits can be bad. How do you eliminate bad habits and create new ones? Well there is a science to behavior change that can inform your actions.

I love when science can explain something. I embrace it and feel like I can work with it. The National Institute for Health launched a program to study the science of behavior change so that we can learn more about what really works vs. anecdote and folklore.Their mission is to investigate the common mechanisms of behavior change that are applicable to a broad range of health-related behaviors. In other words, find a way to change behaviors that have negative health outcomes for people and our society.

But, even with science, change is still hard, habits are difficult to change, and new habits are even harder to form. People don’t change behavior just because it is good for you (or because your current behavior is dangerous). As an example, take using your phone while driving. Most people don’t want to change this behavior and feel that they are good enough drivers that they will be fine (myself included).

I, myself, am trying Noom to lose a few pounds and they have incorporated a lot of the behavior change science that is needed for weight loss and have supposedly had much success in the health and wellness space. The jury is still out for me!

According to the science, you need to do the following:

🦷 Understand the root cause of not changing. If you want to make a change and aren’t, you need to understand what is stopping you from that change. Do you feel as if you aren’t good enough? Or did you try before and it failed? Whatever that reason, you need to understand and address the root cause or you will never even attempt the change. To address the obstacle, try reframing it. If you tried before and it didn’t work, what is different now? How are you different? What did you learn that can improve the outcomes?

🥅 Set clear goals. Goals provide a north star for you and can provide a sense of accomplishment. Preferably set small goals on your way to your north star so you can feel encouraged along the route. Make them SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound). So for example, a non-smart goal is to work out more. A SMART goal would be to work out 3 times per week for at least 30 minutes per workout. A smaller and SMARTer goal would be to work out 3 times this week for 30 minutes per workout including a run on Monday, weight lifting on Wednesday, and swimming on Thursday.

🚧 Manage the obstacles. There will always be obstacles. They could be logistical, relationship-based, time constraints, and more. Find a way to make it easy to change. If you are trying to go back to build a workout habit but are having a hard time finding the time, start small by finding opportunities to walk more. Try looking for a workout buddy or a running or biking group. Try waking up a bit earlier in the morning and squeezing your workout in when everyone else is still asleep. At one point, because my motivation was lacking, causing me to ignore my workout alarm, I set up an easy meetup with my neighbor. I could literally wake up 15 minutes before meeting her increasing my odds of adhering to my routine.

🙃 Upset your routine. One of the biggest obstacles is our current habits. Try engaging in practices that take you out of auto-pilot so you can be thoughtful about your choices vs. having them be habitual. So if you have a habit of eating a piece of chocolate after lunch and dinner, try removing the chocolate from your house so you have to work harder to get that chocolate. An added benefit of upsetting your routine is that you exercise your brain more, which could have long term cognitive benefits.

🍩 Provide rewards. The benefits of the ultimate change may be obvious, but you likely need interim rewards to make this change a habit. When you hit a milestone, reward yourself. If you are attempting to stop using your phone while driving, reward yourself for a full day of not using it. Then stretch it to two days and so on. Start with small milestones and then increase them.

🧌 Create accountability. Share your goal with others and report on your progress. Having someone you have to report to is an incredible motivator and they can provide the support you need to keep you on track.

Over time, through these actions, you can turn the change into a habit and replace a possible bad habit with a better one.

If you are struggling with making a change in your life, coaching may be for you. Schedule a free coaching discovery call to explore how coaching can help you make the transition you desire.