The brain’s response to enticing opportunities is immediate
The change in dopamine levels indicates the second a longing appears. Dopamine is vital to habit formation. Most addictive substances release a high dose of dopamine. Hence, they are challenging to break. Regular activities like drinking water, having sex, and eating also release dopamine.
The anticipation of a reward has a stronger hold on the brain than the reward itself. It is this feeling that elicits every action.
Doing something you love, along with the right behavior, makes it more attractive and is a process known as temptation bundling. Temptation bundling is an application of Premack’s Principle, which states that behaviors more likely to occur can encourage less plausible ones.
⚡️Our cultural contexts determine the behaviors we like.
Our innate desire to belong to a group or a tribe makes us embrace behaviors that the group praises. This group can be people we admire, people who share the same background as us, or our close relations.
Group behavior often trumps individual behavior. If a person who isn’t a bully keeps bullies as friends, they may become bullies themselves to appear cool to the group. You need to be aware of how outside behavior influences you. It’s also a good idea to surround yourself with people who make you feel good and don’t force you into doing something that makes you uncomfortable.
⚡️Frequency is more important than duration when it comes to habit formation.
Repeated practice is better than elaborate planning and implementation when you want to develop a habit. Keeping it simple is the third principle of behavioral change.
Doing something many times means you should do a little at a time. Remove as many obstacles as possible to ensure you continue forming a new habit. Ensure you can complete it within a short time.
Apply the two-minute rule: each new habit shouldn’t take more than two minutes. The time should increase after you’ve mastered it. Do the opposite for habits you want to stop. Make the practice hard. If you restrict your access to habit-forming cues, you will eventually remove them from your life.