It seems as we get older, everyone has a bad habit or two. Whether that is biting your nails, eating unhealthy, or something like smoking. These bad habits can sometimes feel like something we can't change or have become a part of who we are. Although, if you feel like you have really had enough, there are things you can do to change this.
It can sometimes feel like bad habits are a part of you, and you are not alone. According to Wendy wood of the Washington Post (2015), of the almost 50% of Americans that make a new years resolution to change something for themselves only about 8% actually succeed. These behaviors are ones that we use for stress relief even if it doesn't make us feel the best long term. We tend to lean towards these short term gratifications to make ourselves feel better. That's why they can be so hard to break.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Bad+habits&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjc2eOo3N7gAhWBzIMKHUAmCSYQ_AUIDigB&biw=1366&bih=657#imgrc=gV4z89HvvvzcvM:
Bad habits are a result of our attitude towards things, how we deal with stress in everyday activities. According to Kassin, Fein, & Markus (2017) in order to change our attitude towards these behaviors and reduce dissonance, we have to be aware of the unwanted or negative consequence and take responsibility for it. If you simply want to feel and look better, but always have a habit of eating unhealthy, you need to recognize that eating unhealthy is what is making you feel bad. After this, it incites physiological arousal which we can attribute to the behavior therefore making a change in attitude. Being consciously aware of what you eat and how it will make you feel is the difference.
Changing our behavior is all about persuading yourself to want different, if you don't like the after effects you receive from a behavior, you must be open and responsible in order to reach for a new behavior to change that series of effects.
What are your thoughts on this method? Is it that simple? What other factors do you think might be at play? I would love to hear your thoughts.
References
Kassin, S. M., Fein, S., & Markus, H. R. (2017). Social psychology (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
TED. (2016, February 24). Retrieved February 26, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-moW9jvvMr4
Wood, W. (2015, December 31). Five myths about our habits. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-our-habits/2015/12/31/1f3ab244-ad93-11e5-9ab0-884d1cc4b33e_story.html?utm_term=.0803730c5508
It can sometimes feel like bad habits are a part of you, and you are not alone. According to Wendy wood of the Washington Post (2015), of the almost 50% of Americans that make a new years resolution to change something for themselves only about 8% actually succeed. These behaviors are ones that we use for stress relief even if it doesn't make us feel the best long term. We tend to lean towards these short term gratifications to make ourselves feel better. That's why they can be so hard to break.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Bad+habits&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjc2eOo3N7gAhWBzIMKHUAmCSYQ_AUIDigB&biw=1366&bih=657#imgrc=gV4z89HvvvzcvM:
Obviously, not all habits have extreme consequences but, even still most people partake in activities that simply make themselves feel bad. What if there were an easier way to change the way you think in order to reduce these behaviors?
Changing our behavior is all about persuading yourself to want different, if you don't like the after effects you receive from a behavior, you must be open and responsible in order to reach for a new behavior to change that series of effects.
What are your thoughts on this method? Is it that simple? What other factors do you think might be at play? I would love to hear your thoughts.
References
Kassin, S. M., Fein, S., & Markus, H. R. (2017). Social psychology (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
TED. (2016, February 24). Retrieved February 26, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-moW9jvvMr4
Wood, W. (2015, December 31). Five myths about our habits. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-our-habits/2015/12/31/1f3ab244-ad93-11e5-9ab0-884d1cc4b33e_story.html?utm_term=.0803730c5508
I found it crazy that 50% of Americans make new years resolutions but only 8% tend to follow through with them. I agree with this method but I do think there are more factors that play into it. I completely agree that recognizing the problem is a huge step in breaking the habit. You definitely need to persuade yourself to want differently and must be open to doing so. I think that one of the major factors would have to be the environment around you. If you are constantly in a state of stress it may be difficult to overcome the habit you are trying to break. Also, for example if you live in an area with a lot of fast food places, it is hard to break that habit due to the availability of all the fast food restaurants.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate this post, as I think information on overcoming bad habits is something that everyone can use at one point or another. However, I would have to disagree with there being such a simple solution. There is a reason only 8% of people are actually able to keep New Years resolutions. While the method you put forward certainly has potential to work in fighting small bad habits, a lot of things, including problems you mentioned, run at a much deeper level. Many "habits" are actually addictions, which at its heart is a physiological change within the person. These changes often occur in the brain, in the synapses between nerves, and in the number of various receptors within the body. When these changes occur, simply convincing yourself that you have to fix something often is not good enough. While that is certainly an excellent start, there is more that needs to follow to truly break many habits.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jake that being mindful and wanting to be different isn't exactly enough to break a bad habit. Yes, recognizing the problem / being mindful of the problem is the first step to fixing it, but I find there is much more to be done to break a bad habit. It's like the flowchart we saw in class, and the figure on page 220 of our textbook, where intentions do not always determine our behavior. There is a reason why we have a bad habit, it is to make up for something else we lack, like a means to mitigate boredom [biting nails], a sense of belonging [becoming addicted to feel good substances], and so on. I think instead of just being mindful, we should also find a healthy alternative to the bad habit that we have been using to satisfy a need. The question then is finding what need we are trying to satisfy and the thing that would work best for us to satisfy it.
DeleteThank you so much for reading! I really appreciate the comment on the post, and I do agree with you. I think a lot of what I was going for were those smaller scale habits, but some of those could most definitely be identified as addiction. I think those would have to be dealt with appropriately on a larger scale, though I did not mention it. Thanks for pointing that out.
DeleteI appreciate your sentiments, a lot. However, I do also agree with Jake. If you look at the different literature, onychophagia (the pathological oral habit and grooming disorder characterized by chronic, seemingly uncontrollable nail biting that is destructive to fingernails and surrounding tissue) is potentially a symptom of a deeper issue. In the DSM-V it is actually classified as an Other Specified Obsessive-Compulsive Related Disorder, which often requires professional treatment to manage. This isn't to say that all habits are going to be extremely difficult to break on your own, but I think a good mix of therapies and self-management (when possible) would certainly be a good way to either reduce the prevalence of a behavior or completely eliminate it.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about how attitudes can influence our bad habits, I agree with that to some extent, and I can see that reflected in some of the weird habits I have. I feel like most of my habits are the result of how I feel about the anxiety I have toward a situation, which I think you can pigeon-hole into attitudes, so I'm counting it, haha.
I'm definitely in agreement to Jake and Alex's responses, but I do agree that a lot of habits can at least be confronted with more awareness. One example is I bite my fingernails a lot, oftentimes not even out of anxiety or stress, but often just due to boredom. I've started to realize the negative affects it can have and the simple awareness has (to some degree) helped me notice when I'm biting my nails and potentially helps me stop. Or at least I feel bad while biting them.
ReplyDeleteCaden I am the same as you, I bite my nails all the time and it is a very bad habit of mine. I personally have to be moving all the time or I go crazy so when I am confined to one area such as a classroom or driving or whatever it might be I start biting my nails. I have tried to stop multiple times but I never seem to follow through. I do not think this issue goes any deeper than the fact that I have to be moving and biting my nails is just something for me to do when I am not up and moving around.
DeleteI have the same issue. I have found that painting my nails helps (even if it is a clear coat). By giving attention to my nails, I am more aware if I go to chew them. If painting nails is not an option you'd like, maybe giving yourself a little hand massage or putting lotion on your hands gives more attention to that part of the body.
DeleteI also have a problem with sitting still a lot of the time, and I used to bite my nails. The best way I have been able to combat this is to drastically increase the frequency at which I trim my fingernails so there is almost never anything for me to bite on. That has worked for me and now I just annoyingly twirl and drop pens.
DeleteI personally love Ted Talks, so I was very excited when I saw you had one as part of your blog post. I have actually read a bit more on Judson Brewer's study of mindful awareness while smoking and the results were, in my opinion, shocking. Asking someone to describe how the cigarette tastes and how it makes their body feel while performing the action had much different results than I would expect. Many of the participants continuously said that they didn't realize how much the cigarette tasted like chemicals and how it felt like their throat was being burned as they inhaled the smoke. I know plenty of people who have tried to quit their bad habits and inevitably failed. Most of us are told in grade school how smoking can cause X, Y, and Z. Still, it isn't enough to stop the bad habit before it forms. So my continued question is why do we still take part in actions that our brain tells us will make us feel good, but when we are mindful of those actions, they really do the opposite?
ReplyDeleteVery interesting questions, I'm glad the post got you thinking. I am not sure why people continue with something they know is bad, I think it might have to do with being able to compartmentalize their feelings about it, or maybe they just don't care. None the less very interesting observation.
DeleteI really enjoyed reading this blog post, and I enjoyed the Ted Talk as well because I practice mindfulness every now and then. I do agree with the other people who have commented and said that bad habits are harder to break then just using a simple solution. Everyone knows someone who has tried to quit smoking, but failed time and time again because they just can't get away from it. I think this goes along with what Jake said about some habits becoming addictions and causing psychological changes within the body of that individual. One thing that I did find interesting in the Ted Talk, was when he talked about mindfulness having a better outcome than the alternate therapy options. I would have never thought that just being present with yourself and being aware of your surroundings could benefit you in such a way. When I first started practicing mindfulness, I honestly thought it was a load of crap and didn't really try and work on it. I found it funny that the guy in the Ted Talk talked about curiosity, because that is exactly what made me actually work at getting better at being mindful. Once I started trying to listen to my breathing and be aware of my surroundings, I did start to see improvements on the stress in my life. I think if people who had minor habits practiced mindfulness, they would be able to see changes towards their habits and maybe even break them.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience I found it very interesting how you could identify with the information from the ted talk. I personally found the information from him very interesting as it was something I had never thought of before. Mindfulness is something that I believe or at least see gaining more popularity in how people go about and deal with day to day life. Thank you for reading!
DeleteIf only fixing bad habits was as simple as persuading yourself not to do them. I like the topic you chose and I too think it is an important one to think about. I think that fixing bad behaviors needs more than just realizing all of the bad consequences tied to those behaviors. It's not as simple as just wanting things to be different.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. I've witnessed people try to stop their bad habits, but they have become accustom to having that behavior as part of their daily lives. For certain bad habits, it can take a lot more than just seeing the negative impacts your habit has in order to quit. We see commercials about how terrible smoking can be for people, but even with seeing these ads, it doesn't necessarily get people to quit. People can be put into a routine so easily, and it becomes second nature to follow the routine after awhile. It's so hard to break a routine that gives people a sense of stress relieve or satisfies a craving. Many people need family and friends to push them to make a change. I think something that can really motivate people to quit a habit is to have people whose opinions you value call you out on that said behavior. That can really get someone to self-reflect and kind of has a peer-pressure effect (which tends to sway people somewhat easily). I feel like people can know that what there doing is not great, but once someone points at you and says "you need to stop this" and calls you out directly, it becomes a lot more personal.
DeleteThank you so much for reading. I do agree with you. I personally view this as at least a good first step to get on the right track, which I probably should have said. I do believe, especially on a larger scale behavior that their should be much more that goes into breaking it. Thank you for pointing it out.
DeleteI really enjoyed readying your post because I think that almost everyone has some type of bad habit (that they either currently have or had) that they want to break. I did not realize that so many Americans fail to keep their New Years resolution (I know I am one of those Americans that tend to fail with whatever resolution I make). I completely agree with you that when it comes to changing a bad habit we need to address what is causing us to do that habit and need to realize we need to stop and figure out a plan how to stop. I do think that once addressing why we are doing that habit that it is a lot harder to stop than we think it is. I am curious what the rate of relapse is once people stop their habit and start again? Or what course of action is most affective for stopping people habits? Because I know for me I have tried to stop before and I usually end up failing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading. I am glad it made you curious about the subject as it is something I find interesting as well. As for your questions I am not sure as I personally didn't see anything on it. Those are very intriguing questions though. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteBad habits are very hard to break in general. I see people over and over again fall back into the pit of "their same old self." On the other hand I've seen people eliminate all bad habits and completely change their way of life. What are the differences between the two people? From personal experience I think it does come from within. If a person truly wants to change their bad habits they will. It's all in their drive and push to become better. The second part to this is consistency. If the behaviors are withheld for a length of time we know that it's permanent.
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up an interesting point about the personal characteristics associated with people who are able to break habits and people who are not. I agree that people who are more intrinsically motivated are more likely to quit the bad habit. It is a lot easier to get someone to stop something if they are the ones who want to stop. Another characteristic that could relate to stopping bad habits could be the perseverance of that person. This basically means that when things get hard, they do not give in. I think this is crucial when dealing with a bad habit because it is very hard to stop something when no one is around or you do not have the strength.
DeleteI think that this method is enough to break bad habits. Plenty of people do things when they know they're bad. I mean, my grandfather DIED from lung cancer a few years ago and my grandmother and aunt still smoke. They say "I know it's bad for me, I really need to stop." Being aware of the negative consequences does not negate the pleasure you get from partaking in bad habits in the moment. Instead of doing anything about it, the act of calling out what they're doing as bad is enough to clear the cognitive dissonance in their heads so that they can get on with their days.
ReplyDeleteIt's a really interesting point you made that some people with bad habits use acknowledging the problem as a means to reduce cognitive dissonance instead of getting them to progress towards fixing their behavior. I've experienced this myself when it comes to forgetting to brushing my teeth, not eating another peanut butter cookie from the dinning hall (I've eaten four of those newer, melt in your mouth kinds in one day last month), getting better at socializing with other people, and so on. I'll tell myself "I really should say hi to that person" when I feel obligated to but don't feel like putting in the effort to socialize. Recognizing that I should socialize more doesn't get me to do so though, I just get into an argument with myself over my behavior, declare it doesn't really matter, and then move on while continuing my bad habit. It really is a good point you made.
DeleteI believe that mindfulness is a very important method for changing bad habits. Most bad habits are rooted in the unconscious brain, which controls a lot of our behavior. I believe that finding ways to “communicate” with it to convince it that the habit needs to be changed is a useful way to help change the habit. Of course, there may be other factors involved. Smoking for example forcefully alters the state of the brain in a way such that it becomes much harder for the habit to be changed. The same mindfulness technique could work, but due to the associated negative physical symptoms it will be significantly harder. A bad habit I have that I’d like to fix is sleeping at a better time. It seems simple but it’s an issue I’ve struggled with for a long time. While mindfulness could be useful, I believe it requires more: for example, the fact I spend so much time around blue light emitting computers right up to bed time is likely a big culprit due to the effect of blue light on melatonin, a hormone that helps with sleep. I should avoid these devices around the time I want to go to bed. I use this example to point out that often more factors are involved in changing bad habits beyond simply convincing yourself that a habit should be changed.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, thank you for sharing your experience. I like your example a lot. I do think mindfulness is very important especially for small scale habits but for larger scale things or full blown addiction I do think more assistance is required. Thank you for your comment.
DeleteThis post is something everyone can relate to, and I like it a lot. Everyone has a bad habit, but I think the most interesting cases are cases where the person doesn’t want to quit. I have a few friends who smoke cigarettes who are well aware of the dangers of smoking. When asked about why they don’t try to stop or change their bad habit, they simply say they don’t want to. However, I do think this runs more into the addiction category that Jake Flynn brought up in a previous post. Still though, it’s strange to me that wouldn’t at least want to quit on some level, or at least admit that it’s an issue.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading! I totally agree with you but I think for things in the realm of addiction, the mindfulness part may just be a first step in the right direction sort of thing. I think there needs to be a bit more help from outside depending on the person, but at least with being mindful there is potential for change.
DeleteFirst off, I am sorry for such that late post but I hope that this can spark thought for anyone else that reads it. I very much like the post and everything everyone else has had to say, however, why is no one looking at the positive side of our habits? Through the recognition of our habits, and what they can change into, becomes a lot of opportunity to for one, be a "better" person but for two, be able to appreciate the power our habits can have to do good. For instance, while I am reflecting on my day I have gotten into the habit to make sure I hit my step goal for the day. Does anyone else have any positive habits?
ReplyDeleteLike many people, I can relate to the issue of changing habits... like not doing assignments on time.
ReplyDeleteI'm really not surprised by the New Year's resolution aspect--change is all about commitment, not initial enthusiasm. When all the "hooray, new year new me!" enthusiasm is left, all you have is.... work. Because that's what changing yourself takes. And nobody likes to work, right?
It's great for gyms, though! And awful for gymgoers--because starting Jan 1, the gyms are packed.... but of course, at the end of the month, things are back to their usual quiet selves, and the gyms are happily collecting their additional member dues--of course making sure to make it as difficult as possible to quit, to help keep getting their dues, until the people who quit finally resign to this fact by properly ending their gym membership, as opposed to letting the costs stack up out of some fake hope that no, I haven't given up yet! I'm still changed by this new year!
Alas, it's all a lie.
Ha! I definitely agree with you, this is more of what the post was aimed at as well. I'm sure the gym companies make quite a bit of money based on this taking place every year.
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