Habits are a fundamental part of life. They are the reason we act how we do in certain situations.
The definition of a habit is a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up. In simpler terms, habits are routines or actions that are repeated and become automatic or second nature.
This concept presents one big question: why does this happen?
Behavioral scientist Jason Hreha states “Habits are, simply, reliable solutions to recurring problems in our environment.” Our brains are constantly scanning the environment and looking for ways to make things more efficient and easy. Inevitably, we run into common problems in life such as stress, anxiety, burnout, etc.
When these problems present themselves, the brain is automatically trying to find ways to fix these problems.
Eventually, you start to come across solutions. One day you feel burnt out, and you discover that meditation makes you feel refreshed. You might feel anxious, and you find out that biting your nails helps calm you down.
When your brain recognizes the events that led to relief, it catalogs them. Next time you feel anxious, your immediate reaction is to start biting your nails.
This is the basic process of habit formation. As you practice and repeat these “solutions,” it becomes automatic; it becomes a habit.
The science behind habit formation can be broken down into four simple parts:
- Cue – the trigger
- Craving – the want
- Response – the action
- Reward – the end goal
These individual parts act as a series of events that lead to the formation of a habit. This is known as the Habit Cycle.
Part 1: The Cue
The cue is the initiator of the Habit Cycle. It starts off the whole cycle and leads your brain into the three other steps.
So what triggers a cue? Like I said before, your brain is constantly scanning the environment. Not only is it looking for ways to make things more efficient, but it’s also looking for hints to where rewards are located.
A cue is just a bit of information that predicts a reward. Once we discover this bit of information—either internally or externally—the Habit Cycle begins.
Back to the previous example, you are stressed. This itself is a cue because it triggers the craving of reliving that stress. The cue of stress relies on the want to reduce the stress; therefore, our brains will look for or come back to the solution that reduces the stress.
Because the cue is the first indication that we are close to a reward, it will naturally lead to a craving for that reward.
Part 2: The Craving
Cravings are the motivational force behind a habit. It acts as the backbone for habit formation.
Without a craving, there would be no motivation to do anything. Without motivation, a reward would never be achieved through action; therefore a habit would never form.
The point of craving isn’t to create the habit itself, but rather to change the state you are in currently. You may not realize it, but your brain triggers cravings to change how you currently feel.
You aren’t motivated by brushing your teeth, you are motivated by the feeling of a clean mouth. You don’t crave a cigarette to smoke, you crave the feeling of relief it provides. You don’t want television, you want constant entertainment.
All cravings are linked to the desired change. All changes are meant to alter how you feel internally—usually in a positive way.
Another important aspect of craving is that it differs from person to person. In theory, any bit of information—or any cue—could trigger a craving.
The smell of cigarette smoke could immediately trigger a craving for a smoker. On the other hand, someone who doesn’t smoke might be disgusted by it.
Cravings and behaviors are based on one’s emotions, experiences, thoughts, and feelings. The right combination of these four internal processes transforms different cues into different cravings for everyone.
Part 3: The Response
The response is the actual action that you take to provide a reward. This step in the Habit Cycle is a result of the previous craving.
The craving is the source of a response as it provides enough motivation to cause it in the first place. Whether a response occurs depends on how motivated you are and how much you are associated with a cue.
If an action takes more effort and motivation than the craving provided, then you won’t take action. This is why the craving is the backbone of the cycle.
Another aspect of the action is if you are capable of doing it. It may sound simple, but a habit can never form if you aren’t able to provide action at all. A response also depends on your ability, not just your motivation.
If you feel extraordinarily motivated to dunk a basketball, but can’t jump high enough, then, you’re out of luck.
Part 4: The Reward
Finally, the response delivers the reward.
The reward is the end goal of every habit. It is why a habit is formed in the first place.
Again, when you find rewards or solutions to problems, your brain catalogs them. This provides a strategy for the next time you run into that same problem; ultimately creating a habit.
Hold on, that felt good. How do I do that again?
As you find the solution to your stress, your brain takes it as a reward. As you find the solution to your burnout, your brain takes it as a reward.
All rewards provide solutions and all solutions provide rewards. They aren’t the same, but they feed into each other so that the reward aspect of the Habit Cycle can function properly.
Second, the process of finding solutions teaches us what actions are worth remembering in the future. As your brain scans the environment for solutions, it looks for what provides pleasure and what provides disappointment.
Feelings of pleasure and disappointment give your brain the information it needs to distinguish emotionally useful actions from useless ones. This process allows your brain access to new paths that lead to new, satisfactory rewards.
Once a cue shows your brain that this path is available, it will start the Habit Cycle again.
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