How to Break Bad Habits
A neuropsychologist explains how the brain forms habits and offers tips for modifying habits and sticking to your goals.
We all have our routines and habits that we’ve developed over the years. But when a habit is not the healthiest choice — such as scrolling on a phone for hours or turning to junk food in times of stress — what can we do to break it? And how do you form new habits that are more positive choices?
“When you create habits, the neurons in your brain fire in the same pattern or sequence, etching it into your mind,” says Dr. Heidi Allison Bender, a neuropsychologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “You can undo a so-called ‘bad’ habit by weakening those connections and swapping out small steps with a new routine, being mindful of your triggers, and taking a moment to be intentional about your actions.”
Dr. Bender, who is also Director of Neuropsychological Services in the Department of Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine, breaks down the science behind habit formation and shares simple tips for breaking bad habits and building positive routines.
How do habits form in the brain?
Dr. Bender: Habits are a way for the brain to increase efficiencies and decrease life’s pressure and stress by thinking about things in a routinized way. It helps free up your brain to save space to do something else.
Habits start with a three-part process called the habit loop, which involves a cue, routine, and reward.
Brain circuits, or neural networks, get activated by a trigger, and during that activation you have a behavior that gets strengthened through repetition, which leads to reward. Dopamine, the brain’s reward chemical, creates a positive association between the behavior and what you’re experiencing.
As you repeat that routine, more and more neurons fire to reinforce it until it becomes a memory. Over time, the habit becomes more automatic. The neural circuits are firing, but it takes less effort to do so, to the point where you feel you don’t even need to think about it. It becomes ingrained until you alter your behavior to change it.
The Habit Loop
A habit loop is a neurological pattern that leads to habit formation. It consists of three elements:
- Cue: A trigger that can be external, such as hearing your dog’s footsteps signaling you to take them out for a walk. It can also be internal, coming from a feeling in your body or thought in your mind to prompt behavior.
- Routine: A specific behavior or action in response to the cue.
- Reward: Positive reinforcement, or the satisfaction of fulfilling a craving or need, which helps build the routine until it becomes a habit.
Why is it hard to break bad habits?
I hesitate to think of habits as an absolute “good” or “bad,” as they’re just a sequence of behavior that you’ve replicated over time. Rather, people may have habits that are maladaptive, meaning they may not be the most productive behavior for their well-being. It’s important to think about the context of the situation, not just the habit itself.
If someone is feeling very anxious, they might choose to pick on their cuticles or bite their nails out of habit. It’s not as easy for them to take a step back and say, ‘This isn’t the best thing I should be doing right now.’ The habit might make them feel better temporarily, which will then reinforce it from a neurochemical and neuropsychological perspective, making it harder to break.
As a first step, you want to make sure you’re in a healthy state of mind, otherwise it may be hard to think about a better or more fulfilling choice.
Start by creating small substitutions. By picking a substitution, you are modifying the existing pathway in your brain but are replacing it with something more adaptive.
For example, I’m feeling anxious. Instead of picking my nails, maybe I can take deep breaths. I’m not ignoring the stress or feelings, but I’m making a change and laying a new routine in its place, which theoretically should give me a reward.
How long can it take to make or break a habit?
Medical literature says it can take up to 66 days on average to make a habit, with a broad range of 18 to 254 days, according to a study on habit formation.
I recommend taking smaller, incremental steps to implement multi-step habits, such as deciding to eat healthier and change your exercise routine, because you can’t expect to create a dramatic lifestyle overhaul in a matter of days.
Celebrating that small victory is key to reinforcing the habit and making sure you’re continuing to make those gains.
Tips for Breaking Bad Habits and Building New Habits
- Make small, manageable changes
If you hit the snooze button five times each morning, try four times the next day. The next week, try three times, and so on until you’re able to go without snoozing. - Stay consistent
In breaking or developing a new habit, the more consistent you are, the more likely it is to stick or un-stick. Try to repeat the behavior at the same time and in the same setting everyday, so your cues become associated with it. - Write it down
Writing down the habit and steps involved and displaying it in a prominent place can serve as a good reminder. Marking it down the behavior’s successful completion or misstep in a journal or calendar can also help keep you accountable. - Be intentional
Being mindful of why you’re doing something and how you’re doing it can help you be honest with yourself and more effective. - Set SMART goals
Goals should be: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Consider breaking down steps to your habit into smaller goals, and think about whether they are realistic, how you would measure success, how you will be motivated, and include a start date and target end-date.
Dr. Heidi Bender is an award-winning, board-certified neuropsychologist specializing in the evaluation and treatment of patients of all ages with a wide range of neurological and cognitive disorders. She has expertise in evaluating patients to determine if they are candidates for epilepsy surgery, in special procedures such as the intraoperative testing of patients during awake craniotomies, and in cognitive remediation therapies appropriate for patients with a wide variety of cognitive challenges.
Dr. Bender has a special interest in the neuropsychological needs of non-native English speakers and patients born outside of the United States, and is active in professional groups working to reduce disparities in healthcare. To facilitate this, Dr. Bender holds a leadership roles in multiple neuropsychological organizations committed to equity for all, including the New York Neuropsychology Group’s Bilingual Task Force (co-Chair) and the Hispanic Neuropsychological Society (Member-At-Large). As Director of Neuropsychological Services at Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, Dr. Bender is pleased to provide a full spectrum of care to patients before, during, and after neurosurgical treatment. Dr. Bender is full Professor of Neuropsychology in Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine.