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How To Replace Bad Habits With Good Ones: The Science Of "Habit
Management" |
By:
Dr. Stephen Kraus, Success Scientist |
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Few things are more difficult than kicking bad habits or
developing more positive ones. But it is definitely worth the
effort. Bad habits like smoking, overeating or self-criticism
shorten lives and lead to underachievement, and unsuccessful
attempts to change them lower self-esteem.
In contrast, good habits create a kind of “success auto-pilot,”
leading to greater accomplishment with less thought and less
effort.
So how do you best eliminate bad habits and create good ones?
Research from the new field of “positive psychology” – the
scientific study of happy, successful people – points to at
least four proven techniques for successful habit management.
1. Replace a bad habit with a good one. Completely eliminating a
habit is much harder than replacing it with a more productive
habit. Studies of people who compulsively bite their fingernails
have shown that it is very difficult for them to completely give
up their habit, and much easier for them to substitute biting
with the more productive habit of grooming their nails.
Similarly, people who talk too much during meetings struggle to
become silent, but find it much easier to replace their
compulsive talking with highly attentive listening.
2. Exercise. A habit of regular exercise is obviously important
for lasting weight loss. But you may not realize that exercise
helps in accomplishing a variety of goals, and in eliminating a
number of bad habits.
Frequent exercise helps break habits of overeating, and in
kicking all kinds of addictions, particularly if exercise is
substituted for an end-of-the-day cocktail or cigarette. Among
smokers who become competitive runners, for example, over 80%
give up smoking.
3. Reward success. The most fundamental law in all of psychology
is the “law of effect.” It simply states that actions followed
by rewards are strengthened and likely to recur. Unfortunately,
studies show that people rarely use this technique when trying
to change personal habits. Dieters, for example, routinely
overlook weeks of exercise and restrained eating, only to let a
single lapse “snowball” into a total relapse and complete
collapse.
Setting up formal or informal rewards for success greatly
increases your chances of transforming bad habits into good
ones, and is far more effective than punishing yourself for bad
habits or setbacks.
4. Schedule your bad habits. If you are really struggling to
kick a bad habit, try limiting the habit to a specific time and
place. If you are struggling to quit cigarettes, allow yourself
to smoke from 9-9:30pm, and only in an uncomfortable “smoking
stool.” When the urge to smoke strikes, tell yourself that
you’ll have plenty of time to smoke during your pre-scheduled
smoking period. Research and case studies confirm that this
rather unconventional approach can be a useful first step in
changing bad habits.
Copyright © 2004 Stephen Kraus, Ph.D.
REFERENCES
The findings and recommendations in this article are based on
scientific research published in peer-reviewed journals. For
complete references, see Psychological Foundations of Success: A
Harvard-Trained Scientist Separates the Science of Success from
Self-Help Snake Oil by Stephen Kraus, Ph.D.
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Article Source: http://www.PopularArticles.com/article6740.html |
Article: How to Replace Bad Habits with Good Ones: The Science of "Habit
Management"
Author: Dr. Stephen Kraus, Success Scientist
Total Views: 78
Word Count: 452
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