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Negative Habits vs. Positive Habits

Many of us would like to change or even eliminate what we consider negative habits from our lives. They don’t serve us, don’t bring us happiness and some are unhealthy and yet, we just can’t “kick the habit”! First of all it is important to understand what a habit is and how a habit is formed. Only then can we begin to appreciate what is needed to change habits from negative to either positive habits or eliminate them altogether. You’ll soon see that this is an “easier said than done” situation, and is exactly where a Coach can facilitate and support the Client to increase the chances of success in changing negative habits to positive ones.

What are Habits?

Habits are repeated behaviors that require little to no conscious thought.

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Habits are repeated behaviors that require little to no conscious thought. An example of this is switching on a light in a dark room or attempting to catch an unexpected ball thrown in your direction, or carrying out morning routines. Repeated behaviors result in habit formation which can be either beneficial or detrimental to people mentally, physically and/or socially. These repeated behaviors eventuate into habits, these habits often occur without any real intention or thought given to them.
In 1990, researchers at MIT confirmed that habits are indeed created to save brain effort and energy.
Research suggested that as many as 40% of our daily actions are carried out habitually.
In order to save us more energy and effort habits are also able to take that efficiency beyond just our basic needs. Take driving a car for example. To start with it is difficult to remember which is the clutch, brake, accelerator with our legs, with the added addition of the arms, one hand to change through the gears, another to indicate, turn on the wiper/lights, all whilst holding the steering wheel and stay on the correct side of the road! However, after years of practice, we do all of the above plus can participate in a detailed conversation. This is the result in habit formation that has been created in order to make the act of driving a vehicle an automatic and subconscious behavior resulting in getting from A to B whilst expending minimal energy and effort.

How are Habits formed?

The four stages of the Habit Loop, as described in James Clears Book “Atomic Habits” explains nicely how Habits are formed.

James Clear

Habit formation starts early, an example would be a newborn baby crying because it is hungry which results in it being fed and feeling satiated. This habit formation carries over into adulthood, some habits alter and can completely change when the environment is altered, such as moving away from home for the first time, moving countries or meeting a new Partner.
So how are these habits created?

The following are the 4 stages of the Habit Loop, described in James Clears Book “Atomic Habits” explains nicely how habits are formed.

1. Cue:

First, there is the cue. The cue triggers your brain to initiate a behavior. It is a bit of information that predicts a reward. Our prehistoric ancestors were paying attention to cues that signaled the location of primary rewards like food, water, and sex. Today, we spend most of our time learning cues that predict secondary rewards like money and fame, power and status, praise and approval, love and friendship, or a sense of personal satisfaction. (Of course, these pursuits also indirectly improve our odds of survival and reproduction, which is the deeper motive behind everything we do.)

2. Craving:

Cravings are the second step of the habit loop, and they are the motivational force behind every habit. Without some level of motivation or desire—without craving a change—we have no reason to act. What you crave is not the habit itself but the change in state it delivers. You do not crave smoking a cigarette, you crave the feeling of relief it provides. You are not motivated by brushing your teeth but rather by the feeling of a clean mouth. You do not want to turn on the television, you want to be entertained. Every craving is linked to a desire to change your internal state.

3. Routine/Response:

The response is the actual habit you perform, which can take the form of a thought or an action. Whether a response occurs depends on how motivated you are and how much friction is associated with the behavior. If a particular action requires more physical or mental effort than you are willing to expand, then you won’t do it. Your response also depends on your ability. It sounds simple, but a habit can occur only if you are capable of doing it.

4. Reward:

Finally, the response delivers a reward. Rewards are the end goal of every habit. The cue is about noticing the reward. The craving is about wanting the reward. The response is about obtaining the reward. We chase rewards because they serve two purposes: (1) they satisfy us and (2) they teach us.

What are negative habits and how do they serve us?

How many times have you tried to “kick a bad habit” only to find yourself unsuccessful merely days or weeks later? What flood of negative emotions followed that ‘failure’? Negative habits stagnate our growth. Not only just within ourselves (mentally and physically), but also our relationships.

How can Negative Habits be changed into Positive Habits?

How can habits be changed? How do we make more positive habits in our lives, and eliminate or replace the negative habits we currently have?

First, we start with the core of a habit.
All behavior is driven by the desire to solve a problem.
Therefore the purpose of every habit is to solve the problem. If we go back to Steve Clear’s 4 stage Habit Loop the loop can be broken down into two phases of Habit Formation. Stage 1: Cue and Stage 2: Craving is the PROBLEM phase of the Loop. Stage 3: Response and Stage 4: Reward is the SOLVING phase of the Loop.
A common habit example is
PROBLEM PHASE: Cue: You wake up. Craving: You want to feel alert.
SOLUTION PHASE: Response: You drink a cup of coffee. Reward: You satisfy your craving to feel alert.
Therefore the Habit is: Drinking coffee becomes associated with waking up. This process in your mind is conducted within milliseconds and over time the neural pathways are strengthened and this becomes a habit very difficult to break. Using this as an example, it is obvious to see that the cue is waking up. However, for many habits, we are aware of the outcome of the habit, but not necessarily aware of what the cue is.
Practicing mindfulness is an important and helpful start in exploring what the possible cue is in your negative habit that you wish to change. Becoming more self-aware is the base and beginning.