Newsletter 22
Links and Ressources about Habits
As the behavior is repeated the connections between the two regions become stronger and stronger. These connections between the cortex and striatum rely heavily on the neurotransmitter dopamine which plays a huge role in reward processing and habit formation.
If you want to change a habit, you need to make the cost of change significantly small. You want to make the cost of change manageable, cost-effective, affordable metabolically, so that you can do it again and again, so that your brain learns a new way of firing. Habits didn't happen overnight; changes won't happen overnight either. But if you start whittling away now, start making small incremental changes over time, over the long haul with consistency, you'll be very, very successful in your change and very, very happy that you took your time.
Some goal-setting advice might suggest varying your routine to keep things interesting, but when it comes to forming habits, consistency is key—because half of a habit is the cue! Over time and with repetition, psychology researchers tell us, a behavior can become automatic. You just need to have the motivation to stick with it until you no longer need motivation anymore.
And here are some great articles
(there's a lot more, I had to make a choice)
The Neuroscience of Habits | Psychology Today
Creatures of Habit: The Neuroscience of Habit and Purposeful Behavior - PMC (nih.gov)
The Neuroscience Behind Habit Change (forbes.com)
The Neuroscience of Habits: How They Form and How to Change Them [Excerpt] | Scientific American
How To Start New Habits That Actually Stick (jamesclear.com)
Frontiers | Dorsal Striatal Circuits for Habits, Compulsions and Addictions (frontiersin.org)
Basal Ganglia: What It Is, Function & Anatomy (clevelandclinic.org)
The Science of Making & Breaking Habits | Huberman Lab Podcast #53 (youtube.com)