The Power of Habit - 1958 Words

Kahn 1 Jason Kahn Prof. Kurt Meyer EXP 399 29 September 2014 An Alternative Brew The human mind is full of wonder, and the inner workings of the human brain and processes can be equally complex and wondrous. The human ability to reflect, to understand and to choose is one of our greatest evolutionary achievements. The modern human age affords us with a multitude of choices. Thankfully, our brains are also energy efficient organisms and are adept in finding ways of saving space and processing power. Thus, the formation of the habit. That autonomous routine that allows for more complex issues to take up the majority of our mental capacity. Whatever the inclination of the habits, good, bad or neutral, they are quickly established†¦show more content†¦After a cup of tea, I feel soothed, and I am again ready to tackle the next obstacle in my schedule. Over time the neural pathways that are engaged while drinking tea will be carved into my mind, yet this is only the path the habit takes and not the driving force behind the habitual behavior. Then who is behind the wheel on this synaptic highway? Habits get put into hyper drive when the reward and the cue form together and create a neurological craving that then compel the routine to run. Neurologically speaking, the craving of some thing gives us the same experiential sensation that we receive from experiencing the actual reward, and yet this anticipation of pleasure creates a cognitive dissonance. We feel the pleasure of drinking the piping hot tea, however when we aren t actually drinking it, our brains don t like the gap, and will compel us to activate the routine in order to close that gap. We all have these cues that we string together with the reward that then work to create these insatiable cravings. For the modern individual, the chime of incoming texts is now the cue that begins the powerful craving to check and see if we will be rewarded with some life-altering news. For others, the cue of putting on a pair of runningShow MoreRelatedThe Power of Habit848 Words   |  4 Pageschat with one another, and so we do. We take turns and finish our conversations gracefully. And there are dozens and dozens more behaviors that are just as complicated, if not more so. How on Earth do we get all of this done? Thats where habits come in. Habits help us through our day. When we are doing something that is habitual, we are not engaged in the task in the same way as when we are doing something that is not habitual. Just as an example, consider making breakfast in your own kitchen onRead MoreThe Power Of Habit By Charles Duhigg978 Words   |  4 PagesMy Plan to Change My Habit In the Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg explains his theory of habit formation based on the habit loop. The habit loop is whenever a certain cue triggers your brain to go into a mode that automatically uses makes you follow certain patterns. This routine can be physical, mental or emotional. Then there is a reward, which helps your brain figure out if this particular loop is worth remembering for the future. We know a habit that we have good or bad is for a reason, butRead MoreThe Power Of Habit By Charles Duhigg1232 Words   |  5 Pagesit isn t always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped,† Charles Duhigg writes in his book The Power of Habit. Whether a person realizes it or not, habits dictate their daily choices. Often, the choices made out of habit are not what the person really desires; they are just the easy way. They are a crutch†¦ something the person does out of ease or comfort without putting thought into it. At some point these habit s started out as a conscious decision, but eventually they becameRead MoreThe Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg830 Words   |  4 Pagesharmful wrongdoing. In The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, he recounts a story in which a fatigued housewife named Angie Bachmann lost all of her family’s assets, amounting to a million dollars due to a gambling addiction. Every habit has three components: a cue or a trigger of an automatic behavior to start, a routine the behavior itself, and a reward which is how our brain learns to remember this pattern for the future. According to Duhigg, â€Å"you cannot extinguish a bad habit, you can only changeRead MoreThe Power Of Habit By Charles Duhigg1474 Words   |  6 Pagessometimes, but it made her happy. She can’t blame anyone else for her actions besides herself; it is Angie’s fault for her addiction. Their are more better things to do besides sitting at a table and throwing away all your money. In the article The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, it read that, â€Å" it was 10:30am, her 3 daughters were gone, and Bachman had resorted again-taping a piece of paper over the kitchen clock to stop looking...When the clock hit twelve o’clock, she put on some makeup and nice dressRead MoreThe Power Of Habit By Charles Duhigg756 Words   |  4 Pagesdecided their future, they decide their habits, and these habits decide their future. A habit is a learned behavior repeated regularly, requiring small or no reasoning. Habits are created, are not obtained by inheritance, habits can transform themselves in needs. In addition, habits are not unique to people, organizations, to be made up of people, have habits also. There are right, and wrong habits; right habits normally are called as virtues, and wrong habits are called as vices. Undoubtedly, virtuesRead MoreThe Power Of Habit : Henry Molaison And Eugene Pauly1496 Words   |  6 PagesEveryone has at least one habit – whether it is good or bad – and unless someone else points it out, they almost never notice it. Such unconscious tasks exist thanks to â€Å"a nub of neurological tissue known as the basal ganglia† (Duhigg 13). However, scientists would never have learned that this part of the brain was responsible for the formation of routine were it not for two significant men: Henry Molaison and Eugene Pauly. In his book, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and BusinessRead MoreEssay 21098 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿The Power of Belief in Habit Changing All of us have formed habits in our daily life. Even though some of these habits only exist in our subconscious and we cannot actually make sure whether they are real or only the conjectures. But it is undoubted that all of our behaviors are influenced by our desires on specific objectives. In the book, the power of habit, Charles Duhigg explained the definition of a habit as an effort-saving instinct. â€Å"When a habit emerges, the brain stops fully participatingRead MoreUnderstanding Change and Good Will Power744 Words   |  3 Pages Learning that setting goals is important for creating habits and willpower in doing this people can have a successful life. This willpower growth spread to others parts of their lives. As people overcome obstacles they can learn good will power and how to set goals. The majority of people understand that we are born with will power, but will power is learned. This willpower growth spread to others parts of their lives In 2006 two Australian researchers –Megan Oaten and Ken Cheng, did three experiments;Read MoreA Study On Computer Science1402 Words   |  6 Pagesadvantage of users’ habits and human psychology to increase its revenue. Although this practice is the nature of the online marketing business to make profits, I totally disagree with this practice; Google should be clear in what data they receive from its users and sell to advertisers. In the book The Power of Habits, the author Charles Duhigg emphasizes how enormously our habits impact our daily lives. He indicates that 40 percent of our daily activities are a sequence of our habits (xii). According