The Science of Behavior Change

We frequently aspire to improve our lives, and cultivating new, beneficial habits is fundamental to achieving this. On New Year’s Eve, millions of us make resolutions like “Next year I’ll go to the gym every weekday.” Or, following a scary discussion with their doctor, many will vow: “I’ll take my hypertension meds regularly.” However, life unfolds, and the Doer within us subtly undermines the grand plans arranged by the Planner.

Picking up a new activity requires considerable energy at first, especially for something that may not be enjoyable in the moment but offers great future benefits. Sticking with behaviors can turn them into habits, and activities like meditating right after you wake up become easy and automatic. You’ll probably begin to feel something is wrong with your day if circumstances force you to skip these activities. 

This is the power of habit: formerly deliberate tasks evolve into automatic components of your life. Even in moments of absent-mindedness, a habit remains your go-to choice. With the right tools, we can influence people to form new, beneficial habits for their health and well-being. In this chapter, we will show you a powerful framework to do this.