Those are some really good habits

How to adopt better habits, according to science.

Quick note: Most Mondays, I sent a “Big Optimism” email, but we had a technical problem. So enjoy today’s “Understandably;” we’ll do the Big Optimism one tomorrow. Thanks, sorry for the confusion!

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How to get good habits

“We are what we repeatedly do,” someone once said. “Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”

There’s a lively debate over who actually said that first: Aristotle or an early 20th century publisher of self-help books. But, it rings true.

It also explains why so many successful people recognize that one of the keys to their success is the ability to adopt good habits and banish bad ones.

So can you train yourself to adopt only the best habits?

Good news: Research published by cognitive neuroscientists at Trinity College Dublin suggests that there’s a real-world “playbook” you can use to leverage the way your brain naturally works to break bad habits or make better ones.

Here’s Eike Buabang, a postdoctoral fellow who led the research:

“Habits play a central role in our daily lives, from making that first cup of coffee in the morning, to the route we take to work, and the routine we follow to prepare for bed.

Our research reveals why these automatic behaviors are so powerful – and how we can harness our brain’s mechanisms to change them.”

The research is published in the most recent issue of the journal, Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

Buabang and his colleagues set out to bring together “decades of research from laboratory studies” along with real-world research in order to understand how habits work in the human brain.

The simplest way to understand it, they write, is to envision our brains as having two kinds of systems:

• a system based on “stimulus–response (S–R) associations.” These are the sort of things that happen when you feel like you’re on autopilot, for example, wasting away time by scrolling social media feeds on your smartphone.

• a system based on “action–outcome (A–O) expectancies (beliefs) and valued outcomes (goals).” These systems result in more intentional actions that you can envision as building blocks toward a desired outcome, for example, putting away your phone so that you can get work done before a big deadline.

As a result of viewing brain systems through this framework, the researchers write, it becomes easier to understand habit formation as a function of imbalance between these two kinds of systems.

That can make it easier to adopt practices that can either (a) shift intended habits over time from action-outcome brain systems toward stimulus-response brain systems, or else (b) shift bad habits away from them.

I know this could get theoretical in a hurry, so let’s drill down to the practical advice. Some of this will sound familiar, but the experience of considering it through the concept of two competing types of brain systems makes it more comprehensible and useful.

For example, the researchers describe several factors that can affect the balance between the two types of brain systems, either intentionally or not:

• First off, repetition and reinforcement. Did you have grandparents like me who insisted you had to try something seven times before you could say if you liked it or not? Maybe they were onto something. Repetition can have the effect of shifting a behavior toward stimulus-response systems, while adding a reward to the behavior makes it more likely to be repeated.

• Second, making intentional changes in environment. “Adjusting your surroundings can help,” they write, “making desired behaviors easier to access encourages good habits, while removing cues that trigger unwanted behavior disrupts bad habits.”

• Finally, they talk about “knowing how to engage your own goal-directed system,” so that you can put habits that you want to adopt on automatic control. The classic example might be listening to a podcast or music that you can really get into while exercising; each choice requires using an action-outcome decision in order to shift behavior toward a more habitual, stimulus-response association.

Granted, none of this is a silver bullet, but it’s useful research that makes the entire idea of intentional habit formation (or destruction in the case of bad habits) easier to reach.

I like the analogy of someone who wants to lose weight being told either: (a) eat less, or (b) cut out carbohydrates, or (c) follow a very specific diet for 14 days, along with an explanation of exactly how it will affect their body.

That said, even the researchers admit there’s a bit of trial and error involved in adapting this kind of playbook for any individual person.

“We are all different; depending on your neurobiology, it might make more sense to focus on avoiding cues than reducing stress or allowing yourself more time for your daily routine,” explained study co-author Claire Gillan, also of Trinity College Dublin, adding: “By working with, rather than against, how our brains naturally form habits, we can create strategies that make healthier choices more automatic at both individual and societal levels.”

But if it helps to think this way as you set out to adopt better habits, I think it’s worth the effort.

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7 other things

• Syrian rebels seized the capital Damascus unopposed on Sunday after a lightning advance that sent President Bashar al-Assad fleeing to Russia after a 13-year civil war and six decades of his family's autocratic rule. For Syrians, it brought a sudden unexpected end to a war in deep freeze for years, with hundreds of thousands dead, cities pounded to dust and an economy hollowed by global sanctions. Bewildered and elated inmates poured out of jails after rebels blasted open their cells. Reunited families wept in joy. (Reuters)

• In his first sit-down broadcast network interview since the election, President-elect Trump said on NBC's Meet the Press that he would move on the first day of his new term next to pardon his backers who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and to try to bar automatic citizenship for children born in the United States to immigrant parents. Trump disagreed that his tariff plans would make goods more expensive for consumers but conceded that he “can’t guarantee anything,” and said he had no plans to remove Jerome H. Powell, the Federal Reserve chair. He also said members of Congress who investigated the events of Jan. 6, 2021 should go to prison. (New York Times)

• The nationwide manhunt for the gunman suspected of murdering UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson entered its fifth day Sunday. Police released the latest photos of the suspect, appearing to show the man in the back of a taxi. Police also recovered a backpack that contained a jacket and Monopoly money, but no gun. Police believe the gunman fled New York City on a bus shortly after the shooting. Thompson's death is drawing unexpected reaction on social media, with many people expressing support for the shooter, driven by anger over the health insurance industry in general. (Fox News; Fox LA)

• The limestone facade of Notre Dame Cathedral is radiant. Its ornate gargoyles and angels show no signs of the smoke and flames that once billowed from the church. The cavernous interior is immaculate, the soot having been meticulously scrubbed from its arches. By almost any metric the restoration of Notre Dame has been a success. On Saturday, a host of global figures, including President-elect Donald Trump, gathered inside the cathedral for a solemn ceremony to mark its reopening. (WSJ)

• The FBI has been investigating reports of mysterious “car-sized” drones flying across North Jersey at night over the last few weeks. Now, the agency’s asking the public for help. Witnesses have spotted a cluster of what appears to be drones — larger than those typically used by hobbyists — as well as a possible fixed-wing aircraft flying in several areas along the Raritan River over the last three weeks. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

• Traffic chaos caused by 30,000 pounds of melted chocolate on Bay Area highway. (SF Gate)

• A red food dye that is ubiquitous in American drinks, snacks, candies and cereals may finally be banned by the federal government after years of concern that it has adverse health impacts, particularly upon children. The FDA has said that it could soon act to crack down upon the additive known as red 3, derived from petroleum and used to provide a cherry-red coloring to an array of foods. (The Guardian)

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Thanks for reading. Photo by Jan Dommerholt on Unsplash. My high school was run by the Sisters of Mercy, so I feel like I can use a photo of nuns in a story about habits, ba-dum-tss. I wrote about some of this Inc.com. See you in the comments!