Why habits shape your brain
How many times have you found yourself scrolling endlessly through a restaurant menu, unable to pick a dish? Not because nothing looks good, but because there are just too many options?
That moment of overwhelm is a small example of what researchers call “decision fatigue“, the mental exhaustion that comes from making choice after choice throughout the day. Some studies suggest that we make up to 35,000 decisions daily. According to Cornell University researchers Wansink and Sobal, around 226 of those are just about food. No wonder our brain feels tired.
Now imagine adding even more choices to your day: what to wear, when to exercise, how to structure your work, what to eat, when to rest. Without realizing it, you can easily overload your brain. That’s when even the smallest choices, like which pizza to order at the end of a long day, can feel hard.
One way to avoid this fatigue is by turning repeated actions into routines, so you don’t waste energy on them every day. You do not have to overload your brain with even more choices, especially small ones that you can simply make automatic.
Developing habits has long-lasting effects on our lives. The little things you do daily are the ones that make a huge impact in the long run. Start creating more routines, so you do not have to take more decisions than needed, and your brain will thank you!
How habits form and why repetition matters
Habits can be something we do, say, think, or feel: everything can be turned into a habit. Habits can also be positive or negative. But no matter the kind of habit, they can all be defined, according to Charles Duhigg, by their three components:
- The Cue: a trigger, internal or external, that sparks the habit
- The Action: the actual habit, good or bad
- The Reward: the benefit your brain receives, which reinforces the cycle
Many habits are very easy to adopt because they give strong and clear signals to the brain, rewarding it with the neurotransmitter dopamine or with many other pleasure chemicals. Examples of such habits are for instance drinking alcohol, smoking a cigarette, or consuming drugs.
Other habits, on the other hand, especially many positive ones like exercise, healthy eating or meditation, don’t have fast and direct rewards. It’s only after consistent practice that we start feeling the positive effects, and our brain begins to respond in a healthier way. These actions need more repetition before we start feeling the benefits.
Knowing how a habit works, with a bit of creativity, we can start using triggers and rewards to push us for action and develop those positive habits we are struggling to implement. We could for example start to reward our workout at the gym by eating post-exercise a bit of dark chocolate or playing our favorite game after an intense 90 minutes work session.
So if you want to start making some habits sticking, you can ask yourself:
“How can I reward myself in a positive way that will encourage me to continue pursuing these actions?”, or “What are some triggers that I can set up in my daily life to remind me to take action?.
Brain-friendly habits for clarity and balance
Implementing routines can help us to decrease decision fatigue. What are some good habits we can start implementing also to support our brain health?
Think of your brain as a garden: sleep is the soil, stress management is the sunlight, and nutrition is the water and nutrients.
- Sleep: Get enough good-quality rest. Remove digital devices before bedtime and keep a consistent schedule.
- Stress management: Include physical exercise and mindfulness in your daily routine.
- Nutrition: Follow the “Brain Diet” by Jim Kwik, which includes avocado, blueberry, broccoli, coconut oil, eggs, green leafy veggies, salmon, turmeric, walnut, and dark chocolate.
Have fun finding your triggers and rewards and enjoy the brain food.
“Habits are like a path in the woods: the more you walk it, the clearer and easier it becomes.”
ASK YOURSELF
– Which things I can turn into my morning routine so I decrease the number of decisions I need to make at the beginning of the day?
– What are some good habits I want to start integrating into my life today?
– What are some bad habits I want to change into good ones?
Photo by Silvia Foglia
