Building Healthy Habits
The Science Behind Lasting Change
Creating healthy habits can feel daunting, but science offers a roadmap to make lasting changes by working with your brain’s natural wiring. Whether it’s committing to daily exercise, improving nutrition, or staying focused, habits shape much of our daily lives—up to 70% of our waking behavior, according to neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman1. His Huberman Lab podcast dives into the biology and psychology of habit formation, providing practical tools to build and break habits effectively1. Here’s a straightforward guide to the science of habits and how you can use it to transform your life, drawing on proven research to make the process accessible for everyone.
Why Habits Matter
Habits are the brain’s way of saving energy. They turn repeated actions—like brushing your teeth or going for a morning walk—into automatic routines that require minimal thought1. This automation frees up mental space for other tasks. Dr. Huberman explains that habits form through neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to rewire itself by strengthening connections between nerve cells1. When you repeat an action, like jogging daily, your brain builds stronger neural pathways, making it easier over time2. Research shows this process, called long-term potentiation, is key to turning effort into reflex3. Understanding this can help you create habits that support your health and goals.
Overcoming Resistance
One major hurdle to forming habits is what Huberman calls limbic friction—the resistance you feel when you’re too tired or stressed to start something new1. For example, you might want to exercise but feel too drained to begin. Studies suggest aligning habits with your body’s natural rhythms can help4. Huberman recommends tackling tough habits in the morning, within the first eight hours after waking, when your brain is rich with dopamine and norepinephrine, chemicals that boost energy and focus1. Scheduling workouts or meal prep early leverages this natural alertness to push through resistance more easily.
Timing Your Habits
Your day has distinct phases, each suited for different habits based on your brain’s chemistry1. Huberman divides the day into three parts:
- Morning (0–8 hours after waking): Ideal for high-effort habits like exercise or focused work, when dopamine and norepinephrine are high1.
- Afternoon (9–15 hours after waking): As energy dips and serotonin rises, this is perfect for less demanding habits like journaling or skill practice1.
- Night (16–24 hours after waking): A time for rest, where deep sleep solidifies habits through neural rewiring1,5. Keeping lights dim and stress low at night supports this process6.
Aligning habits with these phases, as supported by circadian rhythm research, increases your chances of success by matching tasks to your brain’s state4.
The Power of Task Bracketing
A key to habit success is task bracketing, where your brain marks the start and end of a habit1. Research on the dorsolateral striatum, a brain region, shows it activates before and after a habit, creating a mental “bracket” that reinforces consistency7. By performing a habit at a similar time or setting, like running every morning, you strengthen this bracket, making the habit feel automatic1,7. For example, always putting on your running shoes at 7 a.m. helps your brain anticipate the activity, reducing the effort needed over time.
Rewarding Your Efforts
Your brain thrives on rewards, driven by dopamine, the “motivation molecule”1. Huberman discusses reward prediction error, where dopamine surges when you anticipate or receive unexpected rewards. To build a habit, focus on the positive feelings of completing it, like the satisfaction after a workout. Studies show that anticipating rewards strengthens neural pathways tied to habits8. By thinking about the entire experience—preparing, doing, and finishing the habit—you create a positive mental loop that boosts motivation1.
A Plan with Room to Grow
Huberman suggests a practical system: pick six habits and aim to do four or five daily for 21 days, expecting consistency, not perfection1. If you miss a day, just continue the next day without overcompensating. After 21 days, test which habits feel automatic over another 21 days1. Research supports that habit formation can take 18 to 254 days, with an average of about 66 days, so this flexible approach accommodates individual differences9. It builds context independence, allowing habits to stick regardless of time or place1,9.
Breaking Bad Habits
To break unwanted habits, like mindless snacking, Huberman recommends adding a positive action right after the undesired one1. For example, if you snack impulsively, follow it with a quick stretch or a glass of water. This leverages long-term depression, a process that weakens neural connections when actions are out of sync, disrupting the habit’s automaticity1,3. Research shows that replacing negative behaviors with positive ones is more effective than punishment or reminders alone10.
Turning Science into Action
The Commit 250 Program harnesses these scientific principles with a 28-day plan, including a one-week preparation phase to set the stage for success. Using daily checklists, Commit 250 encourages habits like intentional gratitude, exercise, and mindful eating, aligning with Huberman’s morning phase for high-effort tasks to capitalize on peak energy1. Its 28-day structure allows flexibility to miss days without guilt, mirroring research on sustainable habit formation9. By leveraging task bracketing and consistent practice, Commit 250 helps participants build lasting routines7. The program’s focus on daily actions makes habits feel purposeful, boosting dopamine-driven motivation1,8. With Commit 250, you’re not just forming habits—you’re using your brain’s natural wiring to become a healthier, stronger you, inspiring others along the way.
Sources:
1. Huberman, A. (2021). How to Build & Break Habits. Huberman Lab Podcast. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/Wcs2PFz5q6g?si=vNbs3axUnkN4TdjB
2. Wood, W., & Rünger, D. (2016). Psychology of Habit. Annual Review of Psychology, 67, 289–314. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033417
3. Malenka, R. C., & Bear, M. F. (2004). LTP and LTD: An embarrassment of riches. Neuron, 44(1), 5–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2004.09.012
4. Chellappa, S. L., & Cajochen, C. (2019). Circadian rhythms and sleep in human health. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 15(2), 97–108. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-018-0125-3
5. Walker, M. P. (2017). Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Scribner.
6. Czeisler, C. A. (2013). Perspective: Casting light on sleep deficiency. Nature, 498(7455), S13. https://doi.org/10.1038/498S13a
7. Yin, H. H., & Knowlton, B. J. (2006). The role of the basal ganglia in habit formation. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 7(6), 464–476. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1919
8. Schultz, W. (2015). Neuronal reward and decision signals: From theories to data. Physiological Reviews, 95(3), 853–951. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00023.2014
9. Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C. H. M., Potts, H. W. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), 998–1009. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.674
10. Fritz, H., Hu, Y.-L., Gahman, C., & Wood, W. (2020). Intervention to modify habits: A scoping review. OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health, 40(2), 99–106. https://doi.org/10.1177/1539449219876877
