is full of ads with the message that you can create a habit in 21 days, and in a world full of fake news, it is important to know if we are facing a verifiable reality or a baseless myth. If it really is an effective method, why do only some achieve their goals? Are all habits susceptible to bending to this rule sold as a mathematical law?
From surgery to advertising
Before we venture to answer, let us make it clear that a habit is an automated behavior. This means that It can be acquired with hardly any cognitive control or attentional resources. Being a positive habit, it might be described as valid behavior, since it is healthy and requires no effort.
The origin of this idea comes from the reflections of the American psychologist William James, who in 1890 related habit to brain plasticity. James maintained that practice creates habit by strengthening neural connections and even creating new pathways.
Later, science supported these claims, but the truth is that we still do not know the time required to establish a habit. The neurogenesis pointed out by James is a process, constant and gradual, that spans all of life. Therefore, arguing that three weeks are enough to achieve something so complex seems like magic.
This prodigious method was put into circulation when Maxwell Maltz (1899-1975), a plastic surgeon by training, observed that his patients took approximately 21 days to accommodate skin grafts. His statements regarding the supposed discovery were widely received outside the scientific field, mainly due to its advertising potential.
It must be said that Maltz’s results are restricted to the proprioceptive system, which informs us of the position of our body parts in space. Today, we cannot extrapolate them to other behaviors.
Effort resistance
Maybe right now you’re thinking that you know someone’s friend’s cousin who did it and it worked. Indeed, It can be as valid for some as it is frustrating for others., and this is because forming a habit is a multifactorial process. Some are easier to fix than others simply because the associated behaviors are more accessible in memory.
For example, if we like sweets and we want to get into the habit of eating one cake a day, it will not take us more than three days to achieve it. Now, if our goal is to go to the gym every day, we will probably find many arguments to justify our absences.
This psychological resistance has been described by neuroscientist Andrew Huberman as friction or limbic resistance and implies a protection system once morest the logical effort that any change entails. Apathy and anxiety are our best allies to avoid these difficulties.
It might be said that it is the scientific basis of the saying that bad things are better known than good things to know, since old behaviors are prioritized over new ones. Especially if the latter entail very radical changes in routine.
Strategies to create a habit
This is the main reason why the 21-day rule, scientifically speaking, is more myth than reality. If you are disappointed, here are some strategies that can help you overcome the blissful limbic friction:
- Set realistic goals and differentiate between small daily reinforcements and the ultimate reward. This way you can enjoy moderate short-term benefits instead of being anxious regarding not reaching the big goal quickly. A habit lasts forever, there is no rush.
- Creating a habit is up to you. If you feel obligated or are not convinced by its benefits, it will be easier for you to give up.
- Balance the balance of reality vs. expectations. If you wait too long and make modest profits, you might become frustrated and quit. Simply enjoying the process will protect you from fearful psychological resistance.
- Face the unknown with openness, without prior judgment, holding the discomfort of a new experience. Change requires effort. For example, if the goal is to swim, at first it may be difficult for you to coordinate breathing and movement, and you may dislike this sensation, but it is important to experience new sensations to get used to them and integrate them as part of the habit and its benefits.
- Context is your ally. Repeating a behavior in the same environment helps strengthen it. To do this, choose a time when you are active and arrange everything so that practicing is something accessible, easy and pleasant.
In short, remember that interest, motivation and context will be your best allies in creating a new habit.
This article was previously published by the Research Results Transfer Office (OTRI) of the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM).
Ana García Gutiérrez, Professor of Psychology at UCM, Complutense University of Madrid
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.
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