Page 40 - Prevention (February 2020)
P. 40
W E L LN E S S
L ike most of us, I that during times of stress, such as
spend way too much
when we’re hungry, angry, lonely, or
tired, the area of the brain thought
time online. Part of
to be responsible for controlling
this is for work, but if
I’m honest, a sizable
behavior, called the prefrontal cortex,
chunk consists of
goes “offline,” making us more likely
mindless scrolling.
I typically succumb
ever bitten your nails to the quick
during periods of
after a breakup or emptied your
boredom, though the stress of a dead- to give in to unsavory habits. If you’ve
coworker’s candy bowl when tensions
line can lead me down a rabbit hole. were running high at work, you’ve
Let’s say I’m, oh, I don’t know, experienced this firsthand.
researching a story on changing bad The new science of habit forma-
habits. Soon enough, I’m pinning an tion offers several smart strategies for
air-fryer recipe on Pinterest and buying breaking bad habits, none of which rely
a sherpa-fleece-lined scarf. And I’ve on white-knuckling it. “There are other
tried willing myself to make today the parts of our minds that are much better
day I don’t check social media 34 times suited to helping us stop certain patterns
before noon. Yet somehow, as I take my of behavior and create newer, better
first sip of coffee, my cursor makes its ones,” says Wendy Wood, Ph.D., a pro-
way to that tab all on its own. I learn fessor of psychology and business at the
every day what researchers are also University of Southern California and
finding out: Relying upon willpower— the author of Good Habits, Bad Habits:
the notion that you can overcome The Science of Making Positive Changes
temptation and stick to a goal if you That Stick. “There are ways to do this in
simply try hard enough—isn’t the most spite of the challenges of everyday life
efficient, effective way to change habits. that tend to throw us off course.”
In fact, “there’s no clear evidence
that willpower even exists,” says Judson First off, let’s take a look at how
Brewer, M.D., Ph.D., an associate bad habits take root. Bad habits
professor at the Brown University are born from wanting to feel good.
School of Public Health and the author Like the latest smartphone, our brains
of The Craving Mind: From Cigarettes have older, basic components packed
to Smartphones to Love, despite the fact in alongside newer ones that developed
that more than 60% of Americans see it as the human brain evolved. The newer
as critical in forming a new habit. And regions, like the prefrontal cortex,
if it does exist, it tends to flake out at govern rational thinking and decision-
just the moments we need it most. making—“I should order the grain bowl,
Dr. Brewer cites research suggesting not the cheeseburger”; “I shouldn’t
36 PREVENTION.COM • F E B RUARY 2020
