Why is it so hard to break a bad habit?

Explore the psychology behind how good and bad habits are formed, and get tips on how to manage these behaviors.

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Many people deal with a nail-biting habit at some point in their lives. Some will go to great lengths to try to stop, employing strategies like dipping their hands in salt or wearing gloves. And while not all of us are nail-biters, most of us do have a habit we’d like to kick. So, what's the best way to break one? Explore how habits are formed, and discover tips on how to manage these behaviors.

Directed by Sacha Beeley.

This video made possible in collaboration with Character Lab

A special thanks to Wendy Wood who provided information and insights for the development of this video.

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Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Fernando A. Endo, Helen Lee, pam morgan, sarim haq, Gerardo Castro, Michel-Ange Hortegat, Enes Kirimi, Amaury BISIAUX, ND, Samyogita Hardikar, Vanessa Graulich, Vandana Gunwani, Abdulmohsin Almadi, AJ Lyon, Geoffrey Bultitude, Mi Mi, Thomas Rothert, Brian Elieson, Oge O, Weronika Falkowska, Nevin Spoljaric, Sid Chanpuriya, Anoop Varghese, David Yastremski, Noah Webb, Roberto Chena, Oliver Koo, Luke Pisano, Andrea Gordon, Aleksandar Donev, Nicole Klau Ibarra, Jesse Lira, Ezekiel Raui, Petr Vacek, Dennis, Olivia Fu, Kari Teffeau, Cindy Lai, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, Dan Nguyen, Chin Beng Tan, Tom Boman, Karen Warner, Iryna Panasiuk, Aaron Torres, Eric Braun, Sonja Worzewski, Michael Clement, Adam Berry and Ghaith Tarawneh.

[indigofenrir]

I have a habit of procrastinating. After watching this video, I'm breaking that habit tomorrow.

[ErmiusJillian]

It pains me so much when you're so close to finally breaking a habit then something bad happens

[HellOnWheel]

I find it just as difficult to start a good habit, like regular exercise, as it is to break a bad one.

[Snowman_]

I have a bad habit of scrolling through things on my phone during study time. One thing worked really well for me was keeping the phone way out of arm's reach. Because as long as the phone is within my easy reach or line of sight, my attention is going to keep going there.

[ronkirk]

I was a nail biter until I was 50 and was amazed by how easy it was to break the habit. I happened to use some clear nail polish (chigger bite treatment) on my nails because I noticed two of my nails were splitting. Within a couple weeks I completely quit nail biting and was able to quit using the nail polish. Sure wished I had stopped this habit when I was younger.

[ncttotheworld]

watching this while having a bad habit lol

[badevaripalem]

This is the video I needed, not shaming bad behavior but showing how similar good and bad behaviors are seen by our brain. Every time, our brain tries to protect us from a stressful/unwanted situation even if it leads to bad behavior. And understanding trigger points is the best way to beat bad habits.
Thanks TED-Ed.

[Mjumiman]

The point about replacing bad habits with better ones is so true. I used to be a nail-biter as well, because I didn't like the sensory feeling of when a nail was uneven - Now I keep a little nail file on my desk and just neatly file them down whenever I get the urge. They look great now and feel healthy too, while still giving my brain something to fidget with.

[confusedasian]

I am here because my bad habit is scrolling through phone.😅

[ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWX-fkux]

I have a bad habit of not folding my laundry right away after washing, so I started putting the laundry on my bed. Now, I sleep with extra layers

[ifeanyichukwuOkonkwo]

I picked up the habit of making my bed every morning when I first got a girlfriend. Now I do it virtually every morning. My logic then was, if she comes visiting unannounced, I wouldn't want her to see my bed unkempt. I didn't worry about the room because I shared it with so many people and it was impossible to personally ensure its cleanliness. I got to practise keeping my room clean when I lived on my own. It's beautiful how new events can change our habits.

[marchlopez]

1. Habits are behaviors that are performed regularly and cued subconsciously in response to certain environments or emotional states.

2. Habits can be simple actions or more complex practices ingrained in daily routines.

3. Habits form because the brain learns that the behavior is beneficial and triggers the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that mediates feelings of pleasure.

4. Cue-behavior-reward loops work fast and can cause people to engage in a habit before they have the chance to notice and stop.

5. Not all habits are bad, as they allow us to take swift action in the present, but some habits no longer serve us.

6. Intentions alone often fail to lead to long-term behavior change.

7. One of the most effective ways to manage behavior is to identify the environments or routines that cue the habit and modify them.

8. Habits can be changed through habit reversal training, which requires analyzing and understanding the habit cues and replacing the habit with another one that's less detrimental.

[ShadowMantis]

Breaking the Habit:

Memories consume
Like opening the wound
I'm picking me apart again
You all assume
I'm safe here in my room
Unless I try to start again
I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose
'Cause inside I realize
That I'm the one confused
I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean
I don't know how I got this way
I know it's not alright
So, I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit tonight
Clutching my cure
I tightly lock the door
I try to catch my breath again
I hurt much more
Than anytime before
I had no options left again
I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose
'Cause inside, I realize
That I'm the one confused
I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean
I don't know how I got this way
I'll never be alright
So, I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit tonight
I'll paint it on the walls
'Cause I'm the one at fault
I'll never fight again
And this is how it ends
I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
But now I have some clarity
To show you what I mean
I don't know how I got this way
I'll never be alright
So, I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit tonight

[brandon]

Going to be attempting again to give up smoking, more of an addiction, but also a habit.

[AYNTL]

Thank you for this very well designed short video! Really well done!
In addition to habit reversal, we can also create new habits by :
- by starting with a very easy task, so easy that it can be easily repeated (key to install a new habit and start influencing how we see ourselves / our self identity)
- connecting them with ones we already have (for example: do 5 push ups just before taking your breakfast)
- building cues to make the habit stick (eg: put your book on your pillow if you wish to read before sleep)
- give yourself gratification every time you perform your to-become habit (eg: from a simple check in your calendar when you did it to anything else that is not bad for you! Don't eat a Donut every time you do 5 push ups 😉)

[Definatlynotapossominasuit]

I developed a bad habit of eating at night as a kid because of multiple ADD medications I was prescribed that led me to not eat at all during the day because I physically couldn’t and recuperating that by eatingwhen I didn’t feel sick to my stomach. After years of trying different medications, I flat out told my parents I don’t want to be on them anymore, but the habit of eating and more likely than not, over eating never left me. I am currently trying to overcome it by doing intermittent fasting, and it’s terrible. I thought it was all more boredom that led me to eat at night, but by 9:30-10, my stomach is roaring at me to eat every night. It’s a battle but I need to do it and I have only broken bad habits by going hard on fixing it; ie I went full cold turkey to quit smoking for my first kid. If you are struggling with this, I believe in you that you can, and do it at the pace you need to do it, whether it is fast or slow

[alinowow]

This came in a great moment for me, i feel like im accumulating bad habits and dont know how to stop!

[Marsfi]

I always feel like I need to eat something when I watch a video longer than 3 minutes. I'm fact, I had to grab a snack to watch this and then, I felt guilty. I am thin but I have definitely gained weigh over the past two months so I need to break this bad habit. I will apply what I learned in this video. Thank you Ted-Ed.

[LilyG]

I can't keep my mouth away from my fingernails, but yesterday I returned from a trip and noticed I had longer nails.
I am feeling motivated to kick this habit to the curb, as I have already made significant progress in just one week! It's a great feeling to see the positive changes and improvements that come with self-discipline and hard work. I'm determined to keep going and reach my goals! #motivation #progress #selfimprovement #keepgoing 😚😚😚

[SmashingTsPinatas]

I just wanna say thank you you’re the YouTube channel that helped me be the only person that got a question right on the class kahoot