Name: Why Your Bad Habits Keep Winning
Uploaded: 2024-06-08T21:01:20.000Z
Duration: 4 min 43 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Whether it's biting your nails, procrastinating or sleeping at 2am, we all have those pesky habits we just can't seem to kick, right?

We've all been there, but have you ever wondered why these bad habits keep winning the battle against your best efforts and intentions?

Well, here are a few psychology backed reasons.

Ever caught yourself doing your bad habit without even realising it?

Humans are creatures of habit and our brains love routines.

That's why bad habits thrive in the repetitive, automatic actions like absentmindedly reaching for a cigarette or mindlessly scrolling through social media.

It's not just about what you consciously decide to do, it's about the autopilot mode your brain enters, guided by deeply ingrained patterns.

Understanding the subconscious influence behind your bad habits can help you gain more control and finally break free of them.

According to psychology, habits form in a three step process: cue, routine, reward.

The cue triggers the routine, leading to the reward, creating a loop that's etched into your brain's circuitry.

Bad habits are hard to break when you don't know what triggers them or find alternative ways to give yourself the same kind of satisfaction.

Let's say, for example, you have a problem with overspending. Your cue could be stress, boredom or even the temptation of a sale.

The routine kicks in and suddenly you're swiping that credit card and bringing home a handful of shopping bags.

It gives you temporary satisfaction, sure, but also the guilt of overspending.

To counter this, you can consider replacing the bad habit with a better one.

For example, going for a walk, talking to a friend or indulging in a hobby next time you feel stressed.

Another reason why your bad habits keep winning is because they often provide a quick dopamine fix, creating a neurochemical craving that keeps you coming back for more.

Think of the instant relaxation from a cigarette, the distraction of mindless snacking or the mindless fun of falling down a social media rabbit hole.

The payoff for doing these things is quick and easy, which is exactly what makes them so hard to resist.

Not only that, bad habits also tend to disguise themselves as harmless indulgences, like an extra slice of cake or just one more episode.

It seems like no big deal, but do it enough times and it'll quickly turn into a bad habit before you know it.

Willpower is like a muscle, it can get tired too.

When you rely solely on willpower to break bad habits, it's like sending a soldier into battle without reinforcements.

Your mind can only handle so much before it reaches a breaking point and eventually relapses.

Stress will chip away at our discipline and resilience, but understanding this limitation will help you to work better with your brain's natural processes rather than against it.

Now that we've uncovered the secrets behind why your bad habits keep winning, let's talk about how we can flip the script on them, shall we?

There are two main problems with breaking bad habits.

First, it's not as enjoyable as giving in to them.

When we try to resist, there's no pleasure, no dopamine and therefore no incentive to keep doing so.

Rather than trying to remove them entirely, try to swap them out for something healthier instead or create a reward system for yourself to introduce the positive behaviour.

The second problem is a lack of awareness.

A habit is often an unconscious action, so making it conscious changes it into a choice.

Instead of quitting cold turkey, start with an intentional action.

Acknowledge your actions without judgement.

It sounds counterintuitive, but this helps you detach from the emotions that keep you tied to those habits, like guilt, shame, restlessness and discontentment.

This heightened awareness will lead you to make more intentional choices and break the automatic cycle of bad habits.

Knowing the psychology behind why your bad habits keep winning hopefully empowers you to make more conscious, positive choices and change, and build the foundation for lasting behavioural change.

Ready to take control of your life again?

Share your thoughts and insights in the comments below.

And if you found this video helpful, click here to watch 9 Little Habits to Have a Better Day and 4 Habits Killing Your Energy.

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