How Are Habits Formed? The Psychology of Habit Formation
Author: Jeffrey Gains Publisher: PositivePsychology: https://positivepsychology.com/how-habits-are-formed/ Publish Date: 2021-3-23 Review Date: Status:āļø
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Neuroscience has asked how conscious and goal-directed actions are converted into a habit (Yin & Knowlton, 2006)
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Clues to the mystery of habit formation can be found in an ancient area of the brain called the basal ganglia (Yin & Knowlton, 2006).
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The basal ganglia are deep structures near the base of the brain that developed early in the evolution of our nervous system.
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These structures play a major role in coordinating all kinds of voluntary movements
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The basal ganglia, in conjunction with the brainās frontal or āexecutiveā lobe, also help perform the crucial task of rapidly selecting which type of movement should be made, out of the many options available in a given situation.
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When faced with a tiger suddenly springing from the bushes, what should you do? Stand still, run to climb a tree, or make a dash for the river and hope the tiger canāt swim? The movement program chosen at this point might determine whether you get to pass your genes along to any offspring.
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Since movements are most effective when well learned or habitual, the basal ganglia are also very involved in habit formation.
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Certain habits appear to be formed through the interplay between two distinct basal ganglia pathways (Yin & Knowlton, 2006).
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One of these pathways isĀ associative. It consciously collects information needed for reaching goals such as staying warm, finding food, finding a mate, and expressing oneself artistically.
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A second pathway is moreĀ automatic. This route takes those lessons learned from the first pathway and includes them in a repertoire of stored habits.
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These habits are then available to be called upon, when cued by a given situation.
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When I sit down on my stoop before going for a run, this triggers the habit of putting on my running shoes, in a sequence of actions that is well learned and often automatic.
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Another key aspect to habit formation isĀ positive reinforcementĀ or reward. For an activity to become a habit, it helps if itās not only repeated often, but also positively reinforced.
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We can trigger positive reinforcement through an external reward, like money, food, or praise. Such experiences release dopamine, one of the brainās favorite āfeel goodā neurochemicals. A rewarding dopamine release can also occur through internal triggers, like visualizing yourself reaching a cherished goal (Neuroscience News, 2015).
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Dopamine release has been shown to depend on neurons within the limbic system, another ancient brain circuit that processes emotions and the experience of reward. The limbic system is deeply connected with the basal ganglia and can stamp our memories and habits with emotional and reward value (Trafton, 2012).