Page 43 - Prevention (February 2020)
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experts call friction—environmental a conscious decision, but Wood argues
factors that render us less likely to that these are prime examples of habits
engage in a particular behavior. Friction “that have become so trained into our
is everywhere: the impossible-to-resist minds, schedules, and interactions
cookies stashed in your pantry that that no thinking or decision-making is
make you less likely to stick to nutrition involved.” It’s what allows us to get to
goals; the social media apps on your work each morning without mentally
phone that distract you from work; the exhausting ourselves by planning
Netflix autoplay feature that cues up the every movement. The area of the brain
next episode of your favorite show when that governs these automatic habits
you really should get to sleep. The trick, is called the sensory motor system,
says Wood, “is to increase friction on and it develops habit memory when
behaviors we don’t want and decrease we repeat a sequence of events over
friction on those we do want.” and over. If you find yourself automat-
ically pulling a bottle of wine out of
the fridge when you prepare dinner or
TRY THIS: If you’re trying to
reaching into the chips bowl while you
kick a procrastination habit, delete
watch TV, it’s because you’ve trained
time-sucking apps from your phone
your sensory motor system to do so.
and computer and set up a dedi-
The trick to building a healthier habit,
cated workspace, like in a home
Wood says, is to harness your mental
office or at a local café. Looking
to eat less meat? Sign up for a system to work for you, not against
vegetarian-based meal-delivery you. Do this by building habits you can
service for a few days a week. Much repeat without even having to think
like a direct deposit program that about them: Stash your phone in your
automatically sends part of your glove box—or even your trunk—when
pay to your savings account, “just you get in the car; ask your server to
the act of making [your desired box up half your meal before serving it;
habit] easier makes you more likely grab an apple every night before settling
to stick to your goal,” Wood says. in on the sofa to watch TV. The first
time will be the hardest, she says, but it
grows incrementally easier as you build
2. Repeat a this habit version of muscle memory.
new habit until Research suggests that different behav-
iors tend to require different amounts of
it’s on autopilot repetition before becoming automatic:
Using the turn signal in your car to Adding a piece of fruit to your diet takes
change lanes or kissing your partner about 65 days; drinking something
goodbye in the morning may seem like healthy, 59 days; exercising, 91 days.
F E B RUARY 2020 • PREVENTION.COM 39
