Breaking out of a Habit

Salt and Love, Salt and Water ... seeing this series of posts, my husband was asking if my next post would be about salt and something else. In a "salty spirit", I replied I did not want to get into any such "habit". After all, my mind was filled with different aspects of habits, an effect of reading the book "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg.

An interesting book about habits

Using data from scientific studies as well as real-life examples, this book explains habit formation, techniques for habit reversal, and the ways certain habits could be developed for personal, organizational or community benefit. It points out how any habit can be visualized as a cue-routine-reward loop. When a cue occurs, it triggers an automatic action or habit, in expectation of the reward. Our mind anticipates the reward and unknowingly, a craving develops. This locks in the routine forming a new habit loop. According to the book, to change a habit, one has to simply understand the cue and reward, then plugin a new routine that gives the same reward as the old one.

On reading numerous examples about reversing disruptive habits, my mind went back to how my father had changed one of his habits. Back in 2006, when my parents were planning their first trip to the U.S, we jokingly told my father that there is another thing that he needs to accomplish in addition to securing a visa. He had to stop his habit of chewing betel leaves also known as "paan". Though he told us it was easy to stop, we were all skeptical. The memories of driving around in circles, searching for the nearest paan-wala (person selling betel leaves), whenever we went on family trips, were too vivid in our minds.

Voila! A few days before the trip, he gave up the paan-chewing completely! How did he change a habit of so many years, so quickly?

After reading this book, it seemed to me he had applied the technique described in it. Basically, he identified the cue - a big hearty meal, which triggered the routine - chewing paan. The cue and the routine were clear. The tough part was identifying the reward which drove the habit loop. Looking back, I am awed at how well my father identified it. What he was actually getting out of the paan-chewing was a relaxing effect. The chewing exercised his jaw muscles and gums and in turn relaxed them. He realized he could get the same reward by chewing mouth-freshener gum instead of paan. The habit, which we thought would be difficult to change, was broken easily by switching it with the alternate routine. After a while, he even gave up chewing gum. Instead, it was enough to simply massage the jaws and gums well.

Didn't that sound like a breeze? If that was all it took, why do many people find it difficult to change? For one, it is not easy to recognize cues and the actual rewards. It is also tough to figure out and use the alternate routine when the cues occur. Moreover, it is trickier to make sure one does not go back to the old routine, when the same cues present themselves in slightly different forms. This is very true for habits like alcoholism, where even after going through detox, many fall back when they are faced with the same cue, say stress, in another situation. A deep thinking to understand the cue-routine-reward loop, an ability to use the alternate routine, along with the belief or willpower to change, seem to be the key to making a transformation.

Just as eliminating bad habits can reap benefits, cultivating good habits can bring a fair share of perks. The book has ample examples for the latter too. Though it took me a while to finish the book, it was a very interesting read, one I would recommend to anyone fascinated by these automatic actions called habits that power our lives.

Reference:
The book "The Power of Habit - Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business" by Charles Duhigg,
http://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/