Breaking a bad habit is hard.
We know that, and we’ve all been there.
We make a resolution to quit smoking or stop eating sugar or to be more productive, but inevitably, we fail to keep our promises.
But what if the key to breaking a bad habit is not by forcing ourselves to quit or relying on willpower alone? What if, instead, we approached the problem by tapping into a natural reward-based learning process?
In his TED talk, Judson Brewer, a psychiatrist and addiction expert, argues that we can break bad habits by cultivating mindfulness and curiosity. According to Brewer, we learn habits through a process of positive and negative reinforcement, which is essentially the reward-based learning process that evolution has wired into our brains.
This process is simple: we see a trigger, we do a behavior, we receive a reward. And then, we repeat the process until the behavior becomes a habit.
For example, we see a donut, we eat the donut, we feel good, we repeat. Or we feel bored, we check Facebook, we feel good, we repeat.
But what if we could use this reward-based learning process to our advantage by introducing curiosity and mindfulness into the equation?
That’s what Brewer and his colleagues did in their study on smoking cessation.
Instead of telling smokers to quit smoking or relying on willpower alone, they instructed smokers to smoke mindfully, to pay attention to their cravings, to observe their breath, and to get curious about the sensations that arise when they smoke.
The results were impressive: the smokers in the mindfulness group were twice as likely to quit smoking as the smokers in the control group.
Chat Article
-
We value your input, and the conversations may help us better understand your needs.
-
AI: How can I assist you further? Do you have any other questions that you would like me to answer? I am here to help!
So, how can we apply this approach to break any bad habit? Here are some practical steps:
Notice the Triggers
The first step in breaking a bad habit is to identify the triggers that lead to the behavior.
This could be stress, boredom, anxiety, a particular time of day, a specific location, or a specific emotion.
Once you become aware of your triggers, you can start to work on changing your behavior.
Observe the Behavior
Once you have identified your triggers, the next step is to pay attention to the behavior that follows.
Observe what you do and the thoughts and emotions that arise.
Notice the sensations you feel in your body, such as tension, restlessness, or discomfort. This will help you understand the habit better and make it easier to change.
Get Curious
Instead of judging yourself or trying to force yourself to quit, try to approach the habit with curiosity.
Ask yourself what it’s like to engage in the behavior, such as eating that donut or checking Facebook.
Pay attention to the sensations that arise and the thoughts and emotions that come up. This can help you understand why you engage in the habit and what purpose it serves.
Notice the Reward
Finally, pay attention to the reward that follows the behavior.
Does it feel pleasurable or satisfying? Is it worth it?
Understanding the reward can help you find alternative ways to satisfy the same need without engaging in the habit.
By cultivating mindfulness and curiosity, we can break the automatic and mindless pattern of habit and create space for choice and freedom.
We can learn to pay attention to our experience, to observe our thoughts and emotions, and to respond to our triggers in a skillful and conscious way.
Conclusion
Breaking a bad habit is hard, but it is not impossible.
By tapping into our natural reward-based learning process and introducing mindfulness and curiosity into the equation, we can create new habits and break old ones.
Instead of relying on willpower alone or trying to force ourselves to quit, we can learn to pay attention to our experience, to observe our triggers and behaviors, and to get curious about the sensations that arise.
With practice and patience, we can break any bad habit and create a life of health, happiness, and well-being.
FAQs
Q: Why is breaking a bad habit hard?
A: Breaking a bad habit is hard because our brains have learned the habit through a process of positive and negative reinforcement.
When we encounter a trigger, we do a behavior, and then receive a reward. Over time, this process becomes automatic and mindless, making it difficult to break the habit.
Q: How can mindfulness and curiosity help break a bad habit?
A: Mindfulness and curiosity can help break a bad habit by introducing awareness and choice into the process.
Instead of mindlessly repeating the habit, we can pay attention to the triggers, observe our behavior, and get curious about the experience.
This creates space for choice and freedom, allowing us to respond to our triggers in a conscious and skillful way.
Q: What are the practical steps to break a bad habit using mindfulness and curiosity?
A: The practical steps to break a bad habit using mindfulness and curiosity include noticing the triggers, observing the behavior, getting curious about the experience, and noticing the reward.
By cultivating mindfulness and curiosity in these steps, we can break the automatic pattern of habit and create space for choice and freedom.
Q: How can we apply this approach to break any bad habit?
A: We can apply this approach to break any bad habit by following the practical steps of noticing the triggers, observing the behavior, getting curious about the experience, and noticing the reward.
By cultivating mindfulness and curiosity in each step, we can break the automatic pattern of habit and create space for choice and freedom.
Q: Is breaking a bad habit impossible?
A: No, breaking a bad habit is not impossible.
With practice and patience, we can learn to pay attention to our experience, observe our triggers and behaviors, and get curious about the sensations that arise.
By introducing mindfulness and curiosity into the process, we can create new habits and break old ones, leading to a life of health, happiness, and well-being.
