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Prologue
The brain changes as habits change.
“All our life, so far as it has defi nite form, is but a mass of habits,” William James wrote in 1892.
Habits can be changed, if we understand how they work.
A community is a giant collection of habits occurring among thousands of people.
Part One: The Habits of Individuals
T H E H A B I T L O O P
First, find a simple and obvious cue.
Second, clearly define the rewards.
Why habits are so powerful: They create neurological cravings. Craving is what powers the habit loop.
“wanting evolves into obsessive craving” that can force our brains into autopilot
No one craves scentlessness. On the other hand, lots of people crave a nice smell after they’ve spent thirty minutes cleaning.”
toothpastes contain additives with the sole job of making your mouth tingle after you brush
Cravings are what drive habits. And figuring out how to create a craving makes creating a new habit easier.
THE GOLDEN RULE OF HABIT CHANGE
Why Transformation Occurs
The rule: If you use the same cue, and provide the same reward, you can shift the routine and change the habit. Almost any behavior can be transformed if the cue and reward stay the same.
Brad Dufrene: Most people’s habits have occurred for so long they don’t pay
attention to what causes it anymore.
Often, we don’t really understand the cravings driving our behaviors until we look for them.
If you identify the cues and rewards, you can change the routine.
At least, most of the time. For some habits, however, there’s one other ingredient that’s necessary: belief.