“Our brains are creatures of habit.”
What exactly has the brain got against changing habits? Renowned neuroscientist and philosopher Gerhard Roth provides some answers.
When was the last time you did something by force of habit and regretted it?
Professor Recently I was so lost in thought that I ended up going to a place I used to live in for two decades instead of going home.
Routines determine our lives. From brewing your morning coffee to brushing your teeth before going to bed. Why?
Over 80% of our actions take place automatically without us having to even think about it. The brain strives to turn everything into a routine. Because thinking is time-consuming! Routines help our brain conserve energy and minimise risks. This makes neurobiological sense, indeed it is essential for survival. But sometimes unfavorable. for example when we develop a bad habit.
“Thinking is time-consuming! Routines help our brain conserve energy and minimise risks.”
Why do we find it so difficult to change established habits?
Before we’re born and during the first few years of our lives, our brains are extremely malleable. This malleability has declined dramatically by the time puberty hits. Our brains increasingly begin to think: enough testing! Changing all the time is too much hard work for me now. The brain rewards us for our habits with its own opioids. We are becoming downright dependent on it. The older we get, the more difficult we find it to change our ways.
Which part of the brain controls habits?
When we learn something for the very first time, this is controlled by our cerebral cortex. Once we’ve repeated this action multiple times, it becomes routine. The relevant information slips into our basal ganglia, deep inside the brain. Here it is stored as fixed processes than can no longer be deleted. This is why it’s extremely difficult to try and replace an old habit with a new one.
“This is why it’s extremely difficult to try and replace an old habit with a new one.”
So our brains basically undermine us when we want to change our behaviour?
Yes. Our brains protest. It may well be an organ capable of learning and relearning things, but relearning is infinitely more difficult. However, relearning is much more difficult.
If I don't want to be put off by that: What are good prerequisites for relearning?
Relearning requires practice and motivation. Like a piano student rehearsing a Beethoven sonata: At first he plays bunglingly. But after eight weeks he is already playing passably well. As long as he practices regularly and is motivated.
What are the best ways to motivate yourself?
As a brain researcher, I know: Only a few factors can fundamentally change our behavior. In addition to repetition, suffering is needed. Or the prospect of a reward. It’s especially helpful if the effort is connected to a person we have a strong connection with. The last incentive for changing our behaviour is always an external factor!
Can you give us an example?
Let’s say a woman doesn’t want her husband to leave his dirty laundry lying around any more. Her best chance of achieving this is threatening to pack her bags and leave if he doesn’t. Fear of punishment is a powerful incentive. She should also remind him about his dirty socks as often as possible so he can practise the new routine. Threat of punishment should always be followed by reward – whatever that may be!
You can motivate yourself without putting yourself under pressure!
In this case, the reward on offer must be more enticing than the benefits of your work avoidance strategy.
Does free will even exist?
Theoretically speaking, we’re not entirely free to make our own choices. Once we’ve established habits, we no longer question whether our actions are good and what the consequences are. This eases the pressure on us, because we no longer have to think hard about our every action. A certain stability in our feelings and actions also makes life easier. This makes our behavior somewhat predictable for others.
