Why is it so hard to break a bad habit?
Most of us have a habit we want to stop. So what's the best way to break it? Scientists say habits are things we do often, and we do them without really thinking because of certain places, times, or how we feel. They can be simple things like pulling your hair when you're stressed, or more complex things we do every day, like staying up late or making coffee in the morning.
If you do something a lot without thinking much, it's probably a habit. Habits form because our brain thinks the behavior is good for us at some point. When good things happen in our brain, it makes a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine makes us feel happy.
Dopamine also changes how our brain cells connect and work. Our brain makes connections that link the good feeling with the behavior, so we do it again. It also starts to connect the behavior with other things around us. Once a habit is formed, this cycle of trigger - action - reward works really fast, faster than when we think about what we're doing. You might find yourself doing a habit before you even notice and can stop.
But not all habits are bad. Some habits help us because they are things that worked well in the past and let us act quickly now. Still, many people have habits that aren't good for them anymore.
But just wanting to change usually isn't enough to make long - term changes. This doesn't mean you can't break a habit. If you understand how habits work, you can make better plans to change them. One of the best ways to change behavior is to figure out when and where we do the habit. Then, change your routine or make it harder to do the habit in that place.
For habits like biting your nails or pulling your hair, a method called habit reversal training can help.
Psychologists made this method in the 1970s. The idea is to change a bad habit by replacing it with a better one. This training needs you to understand what makes you do the habit, so you can stop it at the right time.
Breaking a habit takes time, so be kind to yourself and be patient. And while many people focus on their bad habits, we should also be happy about the good habits that help us get through our daily lives easily.