Habits are like shortcuts for your brain

Have you set any objectives or goals for 2022? Neither do I. I must admit, however, that I've never been particularly successful at sticking to New Year's resolutions. I've attempted to learn to play the guitar at least a half-dozen times with little success, and any attempts to avoid sweets over the years have failed miserably. But I also haven't been putting in the effort — I've never tried to turn a resolve into a habit using what I've learned about the brain.

Habits are like shortcuts for your brain, and they can operate in your favor or against you. Habits allow you to operate on autopilot, allowing you to do duties while focusing on something more essential. This is usually a good thing. In the shower, you don't have to focus on your order of operations, allowing your thoughts to roam, plan your day, or solve problems. When you put your seat belt on automatically when you get into a car, you'll never forget to do so, even if you're thinking about anything else.

A habit is the combination of a stimulus and a reaction at its most fundamental level. We build habits by repeating the same action in the same setting over and over. It's crucial to start with the setting: External cues help your brain predict and execute its next move. You complete your meal and indulge in a piece of chocolate. You take your phone out of your pocket and open the Twitter app.

One of the most effective methods to form a new habit is to combine it with an existing one. When you walk out the door, you almost certainly grab your phone, wallet, and keys. Hopefully, if you store your face mask near your keys, you'll remember to get it as well. Try adding an apple (a new habit) to your lunch (an existing habit) every day if you want to start eating more fruits and veggies.

Many habits are not only repeated but also rewarded behaviors. When you make a decision, the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is engaged in more complicated, intentional analyses, is normally activated. When a habit is developed, however, the dorsal striatum, a brain area located deeper in the brain, takes over to make the behavior automatic. The dorsal striatum is a vital area involved in learning, especially when a reward is involved, and it's rich in the neurochemical dopamine. When you get a reward — and a rise in dopamine — for doing something, your brain connects the activity to the benefit, and you learn to do it again rapidly. The dorsal striatum is also linked to drug addiction, which is rather unexpected.

As a result, it will be tough to build a habit out of something you despise, but attaching a new neutral habit to something you currently appreciate will be much easier. Markham Heid advocates viewing a TV or listening to a podcast you enjoy exclusively when you're working out in a piece for Elemental dated January. "Over time, your brain will begin to correlate that exercise with the thing you love, and you'll find yourself looking forward to, rather than dreading, your gym time," he writes.

Habits are often more difficult to break than to form because they are linked to regular external triggers. Changing your environment is one of the most effective strategies to accomplish so. Because many people were driven out of their typical routines as a result of the pandemic, it was an ideal opportunity to disrupt established habits because it removed cues connected to commuting and an office atmosphere. Without having to get ready and travel to work every morning, it was possible to start a new pattern, such as going for an early walk instead of stopping at Dunkin' Donuts.

Elemental released a series of "habit rehabs" last year to assist people with their new year's resolutions. Some of these are already mentioned (reward your new behavior; modify your old routine), but here are a few more to help your habit stick.

Make a plan, but keep it short and focused. You're more likely to forget about, put off, or not know how to implement your resolution into your current life if it's too vague or intimidating. Try to think of a little, basic improvement you can make to an activity you do every day at the same time. Instead of claiming you'll eat healthier, make a commitment to include a salad in your dinner every night.

Make a list of reminders. Because your memory is prone to error, eliminate it from the equation by using reminders and triggers. If you want to exercise more, make a weekly workout routine and set alarms for 10 minutes before each workout.

Motivate yourself from within. This one is a little more hazy, but it's crucial to long-term success. If you've made a resolution just to impress someone else with your insane guitar skills or because you read an article about digital detox and feel like you should probably spend less time on your phone, your resolve is unlikely to survive very long. Make a change because it appeals to or means something to you, not because it appeals to or means something to someone else.