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Habit formation involves a cue, routine, and reward loop from "summary" of The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life & Business by Charles Duhigg
Habit formation is a process that involves a cue, routine, and reward loop. This loop is a fundamental element of how habits work, and understanding it can help in changing behaviors. The cue is a trigger that tells your brain to go into automatic mode and which habit to use. It can be a specific time of day, a particular place, the presence of certain people, or an emotional state. The routine is the behavior itself, which can be physical, mental, or emotional. It is what we commonly think of as the habit. The reward is what helps your brain figure out if a particular loop is worth remembering for the future. Rewards are powerful because they satisfy cravings, and without them, the habit loop doesn't work. Rewards can take many forms, such as food, drugs, money, or social interactions. They are the key to creating new habits and changing existing ones. By understanding how the cue, routine, and reward loop works, we can begin to change habits that we want to change. To change a habit, one must keep the old cue and deliver the old reward but insert a new routine. This is how habits are changed: not by eradicating them, but by replacing them. This is known as the golden rule of habit change. By keeping the same cues and rewards, but changing the routine, we can form new habits that serve us better. This approach leverages the power of existing habits while creating new ones that align with our goals and values. Habits are powerful because they create neurological cravings that drive behaviors automatically. This is why habits are so difficult to break. However, by understanding the cue, routine, and reward loop, we can begin to change our habits effectively. By identifying the cues that trigger our habits, the routines that define them, and the rewards that reinforce them, we can start to take control of our behaviors. This knowledge empowers us to create new habits that serve us better and break old habits that no longer serve us.
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