Habit formation
A habit is a shortcut, not a choice
You did many things today. You did not choose all of them.
Some things you do the same way, in the same place, every day.
Those are habits. A habit runs on its own.
Think about everything a person does in one day. How much of it is habit, done the same way in the same place?
Habits change how the brain works.
At first, a new task uses the thinking part of the brain.
Do it enough, and a deeper part takes over.
Then the thinking part is free for other things.
“As an action becomes a habit, the brain stops steering it from the front. A deeper, older part runs it instead. This frees the mind to think about other things.”— based on Graybiel, 2008
When you do a habit, you are still choosing to do it. You just choose fast.Tap to reveal
Not quite. A habit feels like a choice because you could stop it if you noticed. But most of the time you do not notice. The cue fires, the brain runs the old path, and the action happens before any choosing starts. That is why it feels automatic.
A habit points wherever it was first aimed. It is not good or bad by itself.