1 00:00:15,436 --> 00:00:22,356 Speaker 1: Pushkin for starters. It was the last thing I particularly 2 00:00:22,396 --> 00:00:25,916 Speaker 1: wanted to do. Like many young Americans back in nineteen seventy, 3 00:00:26,356 --> 00:00:28,876 Speaker 1: Richard Ratner wasn't all that excited about going to war. 4 00:00:29,396 --> 00:00:32,276 Speaker 1: I had just been married, and when I found out 5 00:00:32,316 --> 00:00:35,436 Speaker 1: that I was going to Vietnam, we tried to figure 6 00:00:35,436 --> 00:00:37,796 Speaker 1: out any way to get out of it, you know, 7 00:00:37,836 --> 00:00:42,276 Speaker 1: which involved oh, I don't know, talking to the military instcene, 8 00:00:42,276 --> 00:00:44,356 Speaker 1: whether it's a sign that could be changed. None of 9 00:00:44,396 --> 00:00:49,036 Speaker 1: it worked. They were well prepared for people who didn't 10 00:00:49,036 --> 00:00:52,276 Speaker 1: want to go. The Army didn't want to hear Richard's excuses. 11 00:00:52,796 --> 00:00:55,556 Speaker 1: As a newly qualified doctor, he had just the skills 12 00:00:55,556 --> 00:01:00,396 Speaker 1: that the military desperately needed. Richard was one of many 13 00:01:00,436 --> 00:01:03,116 Speaker 1: American men who were plucked from their civilian lives and 14 00:01:03,196 --> 00:01:10,556 Speaker 1: forced into the armed services September fourteen, zero zero one. 15 00:01:10,876 --> 00:01:13,596 Speaker 1: There was even a televised lottery draw where young men 16 00:01:13,636 --> 00:01:16,516 Speaker 1: were selected from military service and a stint in Vietnam 17 00:01:16,756 --> 00:01:20,836 Speaker 1: based on their birthday. April twenty four is zero zero two. 18 00:01:21,596 --> 00:01:24,116 Speaker 1: Richard was lucky enough to delay his service until after 19 00:01:24,156 --> 00:01:27,476 Speaker 1: his medical training, but arriving in Psigon as a twenty 20 00:01:27,516 --> 00:01:30,076 Speaker 1: something new doctor was still a shock to the system. 21 00:01:30,436 --> 00:01:34,116 Speaker 1: We are in buses where they have this steel mesh 22 00:01:34,116 --> 00:01:37,756 Speaker 1: covering the windows, and I'm absolutely sure that any minute 23 00:01:37,796 --> 00:01:39,876 Speaker 1: someone who's going to toss a bomb at us. But 24 00:01:40,036 --> 00:01:42,876 Speaker 1: Richard wasn't a trained surgeon heading to Vietnam to take 25 00:01:42,876 --> 00:01:46,396 Speaker 1: care of bullet wounds. He was a psychiatrist, but he 26 00:01:46,396 --> 00:01:50,956 Speaker 1: still wouldn't be treating depression or even PTSD. Richard was 27 00:01:50,996 --> 00:01:53,436 Speaker 1: about to use his training to wage a war against 28 00:01:53,436 --> 00:01:56,676 Speaker 1: bad habits, the kind of behaviors we really want to 29 00:01:56,796 --> 00:02:00,876 Speaker 1: change but somehow can't. Richard would soon learn that our 30 00:02:00,876 --> 00:02:04,076 Speaker 1: habits don't always work the way we think. His findings 31 00:02:04,116 --> 00:02:07,076 Speaker 1: not only shocked scientists, but also change the way that 32 00:02:07,156 --> 00:02:10,316 Speaker 1: researchers think about the science of behavior. Your change even 33 00:02:10,356 --> 00:02:14,076 Speaker 1: decades later, and his story provides some important hints for 34 00:02:14,156 --> 00:02:16,476 Speaker 1: how we can win our own personal battles with the 35 00:02:16,556 --> 00:02:21,996 Speaker 1: bad habits that hurt our happiness. Our minds are constantly 36 00:02:21,996 --> 00:02:24,076 Speaker 1: telling us what to do to be happy. But what 37 00:02:24,116 --> 00:02:26,476 Speaker 1: if our minds are wrong? What if our minds are 38 00:02:26,516 --> 00:02:29,156 Speaker 1: lying to us, leading us away from what will really 39 00:02:29,156 --> 00:02:32,236 Speaker 1: make us happy. The good news is that understanding the 40 00:02:32,276 --> 00:02:34,516 Speaker 1: science of the mind can point us all back in 41 00:02:34,556 --> 00:02:37,796 Speaker 1: the right direction. You're listening to the Happiness Lab of 42 00:02:37,956 --> 00:02:46,116 Speaker 1: doctor Laurie Santos. You gotta have those shoes shined. You 43 00:02:46,196 --> 00:02:48,996 Speaker 1: got to show up at formation. You know, you have 44 00:02:49,076 --> 00:02:52,316 Speaker 1: to have your bed made. Richard. Soldiers were trapped in Vietnam, 45 00:02:52,596 --> 00:02:55,636 Speaker 1: far away from home. Some were facing life or death 46 00:02:55,676 --> 00:02:59,716 Speaker 1: situations on the battlefield, but according to Richard, the biggest 47 00:02:59,796 --> 00:03:03,516 Speaker 1: enemy many soldiers faced was back in the barracks. It 48 00:03:03,556 --> 00:03:07,556 Speaker 1: was boredom. Away from combat, soldiers spent their days doing 49 00:03:07,596 --> 00:03:12,236 Speaker 1: repetitive tasks that they didn't enjoy, shining boots, dealing with 50 00:03:12,276 --> 00:03:16,396 Speaker 1: annoying superior officers, and generally just not having anything fun 51 00:03:16,436 --> 00:03:19,236 Speaker 1: to do. And that's why many of them wound up 52 00:03:19,276 --> 00:03:22,636 Speaker 1: turning to a particularly bad habit, one that the army 53 00:03:22,956 --> 00:03:26,076 Speaker 1: really didn't approve of. People would just kind of get high, 54 00:03:26,116 --> 00:03:28,476 Speaker 1: and you know, not necessarily that different from if you 55 00:03:29,196 --> 00:03:31,196 Speaker 1: come home from a hard day at the steel mill 56 00:03:31,276 --> 00:03:33,396 Speaker 1: and you know, going to the bar and have a 57 00:03:33,396 --> 00:03:37,356 Speaker 1: few drinks. It's not totally unlike that, yeah, but you know, 58 00:03:37,396 --> 00:03:39,476 Speaker 1: what was available wasn't a few drinks, at least for 59 00:03:39,476 --> 00:03:42,116 Speaker 1: the soldiers who weren't twenty one. What was available was 60 00:03:42,156 --> 00:03:47,236 Speaker 1: like incredibly hardcore heroine exactly. The first phase was where 61 00:03:48,076 --> 00:03:53,836 Speaker 1: soldiers were smoking marijuana. If you're smoking weed, it's not 62 00:03:53,836 --> 00:03:55,756 Speaker 1: going to take too long for it to waft down 63 00:03:55,756 --> 00:03:59,516 Speaker 1: to where the first sergeants which was and he'd come 64 00:03:59,596 --> 00:04:03,036 Speaker 1: up looking for you. Conveniently enough, soldiers had access to 65 00:04:03,076 --> 00:04:06,636 Speaker 1: a less smelly drug option. With the Golden Triangle, a 66 00:04:06,676 --> 00:04:10,556 Speaker 1: massive area of poppy production just across the order, suppliers 67 00:04:10,556 --> 00:04:13,116 Speaker 1: were ready and willing to sell an alternative drug to 68 00:04:13,236 --> 00:04:17,196 Speaker 1: US troops, heroin. They could do it under the nose 69 00:04:17,276 --> 00:04:21,236 Speaker 1: of their commanding officers, and it was a great deal 70 00:04:21,316 --> 00:04:24,436 Speaker 1: more potent. As one GI addict told The New York Times, 71 00:04:24,756 --> 00:04:29,316 Speaker 1: the skag was everywhere. Estimates vary, but it's generally thought 72 00:04:29,316 --> 00:04:32,636 Speaker 1: that around twenty percent of low ranking soldiers used heroin. 73 00:04:33,396 --> 00:04:37,436 Speaker 1: The Times called the addiction rates an epidemic. With hundreds 74 00:04:37,436 --> 00:04:40,956 Speaker 1: of thousands of American troops stationed all over Vietnam, the 75 00:04:41,036 --> 00:04:43,756 Speaker 1: government was worried that gis would return to their families 76 00:04:44,036 --> 00:04:47,916 Speaker 1: as desperate junkies. This notion that we had a whole 77 00:04:48,596 --> 00:04:51,276 Speaker 1: army full of drug crazed people who were going to 78 00:04:51,276 --> 00:04:56,636 Speaker 1: be unleashed on these communities truly had people frightened, the 79 00:04:56,756 --> 00:05:01,916 Speaker 1: Army announced that anybody who was dependent on heroin could 80 00:05:01,956 --> 00:05:07,036 Speaker 1: report to the Amnesty Center. They would not be arrested 81 00:05:07,236 --> 00:05:11,116 Speaker 1: or charged with criminal activities. They could come, they could 82 00:05:11,236 --> 00:05:14,796 Speaker 1: detox and then go home. You know, no harm, no foul. 83 00:05:15,196 --> 00:05:18,796 Speaker 1: The American public demanded action, and so, without a better plan, 84 00:05:19,036 --> 00:05:22,076 Speaker 1: the Army opted to force the gis to go cold Turkey. 85 00:05:22,596 --> 00:05:25,316 Speaker 1: When they came into the detox center. We did not 86 00:05:25,436 --> 00:05:28,916 Speaker 1: taper them off on heroin. I really had no idea, 87 00:05:28,956 --> 00:05:31,836 Speaker 1: and I was sort of frantically trying to get information 88 00:05:31,916 --> 00:05:35,516 Speaker 1: on how does one properly detox somebody. But what Richard 89 00:05:35,516 --> 00:05:38,116 Speaker 1: had even less of an idea about was how he 90 00:05:38,156 --> 00:05:40,916 Speaker 1: was going to help soldiers stay clean once they got home. 91 00:05:41,676 --> 00:05:44,836 Speaker 1: I mean, heroin isn't just any old bad habit, It's 92 00:05:44,876 --> 00:05:49,196 Speaker 1: an incredibly addictive substance. By making his soldiers go cold Turkey, 93 00:05:49,716 --> 00:05:52,076 Speaker 1: Richard could help his men get through the withdrawal phase, 94 00:05:52,556 --> 00:05:55,396 Speaker 1: that first step to breaking the physical part of their addiction. 95 00:05:56,236 --> 00:05:59,276 Speaker 1: But the bigger challenge was helping them avoid the behavioral 96 00:05:59,276 --> 00:06:02,476 Speaker 1: parts of their addiction, that habit of turning to heroine 97 00:06:02,556 --> 00:06:05,556 Speaker 1: in order to feel better whenever they were feeling depressed 98 00:06:05,756 --> 00:06:09,636 Speaker 1: or bored or stressed, the almost automatic urge to reduce 99 00:06:09,676 --> 00:06:13,236 Speaker 1: their craving with a quick hit. Simply hoping that these 100 00:06:13,236 --> 00:06:16,316 Speaker 1: men would have the willpower to avoid heroin wasn't going 101 00:06:16,356 --> 00:06:18,836 Speaker 1: to be enough. Here we have these guys who are 102 00:06:19,436 --> 00:06:23,716 Speaker 1: eighteen nineteen, and when a little too much pressure is 103 00:06:23,716 --> 00:06:27,156 Speaker 1: put on them, they pop. At the time, Richard was 104 00:06:27,196 --> 00:06:29,356 Speaker 1: worried that there was no way to avert this wave 105 00:06:29,436 --> 00:06:31,996 Speaker 1: of addiction. Sure, the men could detox at his center, 106 00:06:32,476 --> 00:06:33,996 Speaker 1: but no one seemed to know what to do to 107 00:06:34,036 --> 00:06:36,796 Speaker 1: help them and overcome their awful habit so that they 108 00:06:36,836 --> 00:06:42,036 Speaker 1: could become healthier and happier. Now, I'm guessing most people 109 00:06:42,076 --> 00:06:45,116 Speaker 1: listening to this podcast won't ever face a behavioral challenge 110 00:06:45,196 --> 00:06:48,996 Speaker 1: as hard as kicking heroine. But like those soldiers, all 111 00:06:49,076 --> 00:06:51,276 Speaker 1: of us have bad habits that detract from our health 112 00:06:51,276 --> 00:06:54,156 Speaker 1: and happiness. You don't need to be an opioid drug 113 00:06:54,236 --> 00:06:56,836 Speaker 1: user to understand that it can be difficult to change 114 00:06:56,836 --> 00:06:59,876 Speaker 1: are not so good ways, and the science suggests that 115 00:06:59,876 --> 00:07:02,956 Speaker 1: the everyday habits that plague us can sometimes be just 116 00:07:03,036 --> 00:07:06,756 Speaker 1: as hard to overcome as the addictive kind. The problem 117 00:07:06,916 --> 00:07:09,556 Speaker 1: is that the path to happiness requires changing a lot 118 00:07:09,556 --> 00:07:13,076 Speaker 1: of these habitual bad behaviors. We need to stop griping, 119 00:07:13,436 --> 00:07:15,676 Speaker 1: we need to put down our phones, and we need 120 00:07:15,716 --> 00:07:19,156 Speaker 1: to stop craving material possessions. But how do we do that. 121 00:07:19,916 --> 00:07:22,596 Speaker 1: If you're like me, it probably feels like changing these 122 00:07:22,636 --> 00:07:27,036 Speaker 1: repeated behaviors is really really challenging. But what our lying 123 00:07:27,076 --> 00:07:30,036 Speaker 1: minds don't realize is that we have a powerful mental 124 00:07:30,076 --> 00:07:33,596 Speaker 1: tool that really could help us achieve lasting behavioral change 125 00:07:33,596 --> 00:07:37,076 Speaker 1: with ease, if only we understood how that tool worked. 126 00:07:39,556 --> 00:07:42,396 Speaker 1: I wanted to learn more about why our intuitions about 127 00:07:42,436 --> 00:07:45,476 Speaker 1: behavior change were so bad, and I knew just the 128 00:07:45,516 --> 00:07:48,636 Speaker 1: person to ask. My name is Wendy Wood. I am 129 00:07:49,476 --> 00:07:52,796 Speaker 1: Professor of psychology and business here at the University of 130 00:07:52,836 --> 00:07:55,716 Speaker 1: Southern California. Wendy is the author of a new book, 131 00:07:56,036 --> 00:07:59,596 Speaker 1: Good Habits, Bad Habits, The Science of making positive changes 132 00:07:59,716 --> 00:08:04,476 Speaker 1: that stick. Most of us are very good at understanding 133 00:08:04,796 --> 00:08:08,316 Speaker 1: what we need to do better to be healthier, to 134 00:08:08,476 --> 00:08:13,396 Speaker 1: be more financially stable, to have happier families. Most of 135 00:08:13,516 --> 00:08:17,156 Speaker 1: us know what those things are. The problem, according to Wendy, 136 00:08:17,516 --> 00:08:19,916 Speaker 1: is that most of us mistakenly think that changing our 137 00:08:19,956 --> 00:08:23,916 Speaker 1: behavior requires willpower and hard work. I think that we 138 00:08:24,356 --> 00:08:30,036 Speaker 1: admire willpower, and we view it as a very positive attribute. 139 00:08:30,516 --> 00:08:33,436 Speaker 1: The way that the Puritans thought they would go to 140 00:08:33,516 --> 00:08:38,436 Speaker 1: heaven is through self denial and showing that they were 141 00:08:38,476 --> 00:08:41,876 Speaker 1: strong enough to resist temptations. But there's a problem with this. 142 00:08:41,956 --> 00:08:45,076 Speaker 1: Willpower is next to godliness notion, and that is that 143 00:08:45,156 --> 00:08:51,236 Speaker 1: willpower doesn't really work. When you exert willpower and control 144 00:08:51,356 --> 00:08:56,596 Speaker 1: your behavior, what you're doing is you are thinking about 145 00:08:56,916 --> 00:09:00,036 Speaker 1: the thing that you don't want to do, and in 146 00:09:00,116 --> 00:09:04,956 Speaker 1: doing so, you give it energy to keep re emerging. 147 00:09:05,756 --> 00:09:10,316 Speaker 1: So there's a sort of a self defeating aspect to 148 00:09:10,476 --> 00:09:14,876 Speaker 1: willpower that gets in our way. So if willpower doesn't work, 149 00:09:15,236 --> 00:09:18,316 Speaker 1: what can we actually do to successively tame our bad habits. 150 00:09:18,796 --> 00:09:21,236 Speaker 1: The answer is that we need to be working smarter, 151 00:09:21,596 --> 00:09:26,956 Speaker 1: not harder. When you observe people when they are being 152 00:09:27,436 --> 00:09:32,356 Speaker 1: effective at controlling their behavior and doing the right thing, 153 00:09:32,956 --> 00:09:38,156 Speaker 1: say eating healthfully or saving money for the future, what 154 00:09:38,196 --> 00:09:42,356 Speaker 1: they're doing is they're not exerting willpower. What people do 155 00:09:42,556 --> 00:09:46,916 Speaker 1: is they set up the situations around them to make 156 00:09:46,956 --> 00:09:51,836 Speaker 1: it easy to repeat the desired behavior, and they repeat 157 00:09:51,916 --> 00:09:55,996 Speaker 1: it over and over so that it becomes automatic. We 158 00:09:56,076 --> 00:10:00,476 Speaker 1: don't realize how much of that we really could harness 159 00:10:00,916 --> 00:10:03,556 Speaker 1: if we just knew how it worked. When we get 160 00:10:03,596 --> 00:10:06,196 Speaker 1: back from the break, we'll do just that. We'll take 161 00:10:06,236 --> 00:10:08,876 Speaker 1: a deep dive into how habits work and how you 162 00:10:08,876 --> 00:10:11,196 Speaker 1: can harness them to behave in ways that promote your 163 00:10:11,236 --> 00:10:15,236 Speaker 1: health and your happiness. The Happiness Lab will be right back. 164 00:10:25,516 --> 00:10:28,436 Speaker 1: I get up in the morning, I walk into my 165 00:10:28,556 --> 00:10:32,356 Speaker 1: kitchen and making coffee is the first thing that comes 166 00:10:32,356 --> 00:10:36,316 Speaker 1: to mind. Psychologist and behavior change expert Wendy Wood knows 167 00:10:36,316 --> 00:10:39,236 Speaker 1: that engaging in routine is the secret to changing our 168 00:10:39,276 --> 00:10:42,516 Speaker 1: bad behaviors. I don't ask myself how to do it. 169 00:10:42,676 --> 00:10:44,276 Speaker 1: I don't need to do that. I've done it so 170 00:10:44,316 --> 00:10:47,276 Speaker 1: often in the past. I don't ask myself whether I 171 00:10:47,356 --> 00:10:50,396 Speaker 1: want coffee? Am I really tired this morning? Do I 172 00:10:50,436 --> 00:10:53,836 Speaker 1: need coffee? I don't ask those questions. I just do it, 173 00:10:54,316 --> 00:10:57,636 Speaker 1: and then in the end I get the reward of 174 00:10:58,316 --> 00:11:00,796 Speaker 1: repeating what I've done in the past, which is that 175 00:11:00,916 --> 00:11:04,796 Speaker 1: great cup of coffee. And that's how people who are 176 00:11:04,836 --> 00:11:08,276 Speaker 1: really successful at meeting their goals, that's how they do it. 177 00:11:08,716 --> 00:11:12,796 Speaker 1: Wendy morning coffee making illustrates a willpower free strategy that 178 00:11:12,876 --> 00:11:15,036 Speaker 1: all of us can use to change our behavior for 179 00:11:15,116 --> 00:11:20,996 Speaker 1: the better. It's called habit formation. Habits are just the 180 00:11:21,316 --> 00:11:26,836 Speaker 1: behaviors we repeat until they become sort of mental shortcuts. 181 00:11:27,276 --> 00:11:31,956 Speaker 1: There's shortcuts about what you can do that's likely to 182 00:11:32,036 --> 00:11:35,316 Speaker 1: get you the same reward as you got in the past. 183 00:11:36,116 --> 00:11:39,236 Speaker 1: Habits conformed for any repeated behavior that gets us a reward, 184 00:11:39,756 --> 00:11:42,316 Speaker 1: whether that reward is ultimately good for us, like a 185 00:11:42,396 --> 00:11:44,956 Speaker 1: nice cup of coffee in the morning, or bad for us, 186 00:11:45,316 --> 00:11:48,636 Speaker 1: like a shot of heroin. But Wendy's work has shown 187 00:11:48,676 --> 00:11:52,076 Speaker 1: the good habits and bad habits work exactly the same way. 188 00:11:52,796 --> 00:11:56,196 Speaker 1: They have a very particular structure, one that involves three 189 00:11:56,236 --> 00:12:00,316 Speaker 1: critical parts. The first critical part of habit formation is 190 00:12:00,316 --> 00:12:04,996 Speaker 1: the reward rewards. Here are just behaviors that meet your goals, 191 00:12:05,156 --> 00:12:10,796 Speaker 1: behaviors that make you feel good, behaviors that achieved some 192 00:12:11,436 --> 00:12:15,356 Speaker 1: outcome that you're looking for. For morning, Wendy, that reward 193 00:12:15,436 --> 00:12:17,876 Speaker 1: was having the positive taste of a nice cup of coffee. 194 00:12:18,396 --> 00:12:20,876 Speaker 1: But habit formation can involve lots of other kinds of 195 00:12:20,916 --> 00:12:24,236 Speaker 1: rewards too. The endorphins that kick in after a good 196 00:12:24,276 --> 00:12:27,716 Speaker 1: exercise session, the reduced boredom we feel after we do 197 00:12:27,756 --> 00:12:30,836 Speaker 1: a quick social media check, or the satisfaction you get 198 00:12:30,996 --> 00:12:34,876 Speaker 1: learning something new from your favorite podcast. Anything that feels 199 00:12:34,956 --> 00:12:37,356 Speaker 1: nice or meets a goal can serve as a reward 200 00:12:37,556 --> 00:12:40,556 Speaker 1: that leads to a new habit. But habits not only 201 00:12:40,636 --> 00:12:43,556 Speaker 1: require a reward at the end, they also have a 202 00:12:43,636 --> 00:12:48,196 Speaker 1: second critical component, the routine. A routine is the specific 203 00:12:48,236 --> 00:12:51,756 Speaker 1: sequence of actions that gets us to a reward. For 204 00:12:51,876 --> 00:12:55,036 Speaker 1: Wendy's caffeine habit, that might be each step she takes 205 00:12:55,076 --> 00:12:57,916 Speaker 1: to make her morning coffee. If you're a yoga lover 206 00:12:57,996 --> 00:13:00,676 Speaker 1: like me, your routine might involve grabbing your mat and 207 00:13:00,796 --> 00:13:04,476 Speaker 1: driving to your favorite studio. The science shows that having 208 00:13:04,596 --> 00:13:09,316 Speaker 1: specific routine is critical to habit formation, in part because 209 00:13:09,316 --> 00:13:12,596 Speaker 1: our minds care about them a lot. In fact, when 210 00:13:12,596 --> 00:13:16,316 Speaker 1: your brain experiences something wonderful, it drops everything to remember 211 00:13:16,356 --> 00:13:19,036 Speaker 1: the exact sequence of whatever you just did to get 212 00:13:19,076 --> 00:13:22,116 Speaker 1: that reward, and when it lays down a new memory 213 00:13:22,116 --> 00:13:25,276 Speaker 1: of that sequence, it definitely doesn't want to screw anything up, 214 00:13:25,836 --> 00:13:27,796 Speaker 1: and so it doesn't just remember what you did as 215 00:13:27,796 --> 00:13:31,676 Speaker 1: a bunch of individual action steps. Instead, it stores your 216 00:13:31,676 --> 00:13:35,876 Speaker 1: whole sequence of behaviors as a single solitary routine, what 217 00:13:35,956 --> 00:13:40,436 Speaker 1: researchers call chunking. It even uses a totally different neural 218 00:13:40,436 --> 00:13:43,956 Speaker 1: system to do so, when you're repeating a task that 219 00:13:44,076 --> 00:13:48,436 Speaker 1: you have practiced many times in the past, you are 220 00:13:48,476 --> 00:13:53,836 Speaker 1: relying on something called the sensory motor system, which involves 221 00:13:53,836 --> 00:13:57,436 Speaker 1: the putamen, which is part of the basic anglia. And 222 00:13:57,916 --> 00:14:02,276 Speaker 1: when you start a new task, in contrast, you're using 223 00:14:02,396 --> 00:14:05,956 Speaker 1: much more of the frontal lobes because those are the 224 00:14:06,036 --> 00:14:10,236 Speaker 1: active thinking parts of your brain. And these two things 225 00:14:10,316 --> 00:14:15,356 Speaker 1: are definitely connected, but they also function somewhat independently, and 226 00:14:15,476 --> 00:14:18,956 Speaker 1: that's why habits are such fantastic mental shortcuts, because we 227 00:14:18,996 --> 00:14:21,596 Speaker 1: don't need our conscious thinking frontal lobes to remember each 228 00:14:21,596 --> 00:14:25,796 Speaker 1: individual action. Whenever we want a reward, the unconscious bits 229 00:14:25,796 --> 00:14:28,316 Speaker 1: of our brain can just hit go and our minds 230 00:14:28,316 --> 00:14:32,756 Speaker 1: get the entire perfectly stored routine for free driving is 231 00:14:33,156 --> 00:14:38,556 Speaker 1: the prototypic habit, right. It's something we have to think 232 00:14:38,596 --> 00:14:42,876 Speaker 1: about when we first learn to do it, but then 233 00:14:42,916 --> 00:14:48,956 Speaker 1: over time that thought becomes less and less necessary, and 234 00:14:48,996 --> 00:14:52,796 Speaker 1: we start just responding automatically based on what we did 235 00:14:52,876 --> 00:14:57,676 Speaker 1: in the past, and that achieves the goal of getting 236 00:14:57,756 --> 00:15:00,676 Speaker 1: us somewhere we want to go, and it does so 237 00:15:00,796 --> 00:15:03,636 Speaker 1: efficiently and quickly most of the time. Unless you live 238 00:15:03,676 --> 00:15:06,796 Speaker 1: in la and then there's nothing efficient about driving. I 239 00:15:06,876 --> 00:15:08,676 Speaker 1: want to focus in on this lack of awareness for 240 00:15:08,716 --> 00:15:11,716 Speaker 1: a second, because it's really weird when you think about it. 241 00:15:12,276 --> 00:15:16,196 Speaker 1: I mean, our driving routine involves tracking lots of complicated stuff, 242 00:15:16,196 --> 00:15:18,636 Speaker 1: from where your right foot is to how fast your 243 00:15:18,636 --> 00:15:21,316 Speaker 1: car is going, to whether there are pedestrians about to 244 00:15:21,316 --> 00:15:24,116 Speaker 1: cross the street, to where other cars are moving, to 245 00:15:24,196 --> 00:15:26,476 Speaker 1: when a traffic light might change, to when you need 246 00:15:26,516 --> 00:15:28,716 Speaker 1: to click your turn signal, and to whether you have 247 00:15:28,756 --> 00:15:32,156 Speaker 1: your radio set to your favorite podcast. It's amazing that 248 00:15:32,196 --> 00:15:34,996 Speaker 1: we can juggle all that information at all, let alone 249 00:15:35,036 --> 00:15:38,876 Speaker 1: that we can do so easily and unconsciously. But that 250 00:15:39,036 --> 00:15:42,516 Speaker 1: is the amazing psychological power of habits. Once we form 251 00:15:42,556 --> 00:15:44,876 Speaker 1: a new habit, we get to engage in all kinds 252 00:15:44,916 --> 00:15:48,796 Speaker 1: of complicated behaviors without a moment's thought. And that's why 253 00:15:48,836 --> 00:15:51,476 Speaker 1: habits are so much more effective than willpower for changing 254 00:15:51,476 --> 00:15:54,476 Speaker 1: our behaviors. Once we make the things we want to 255 00:15:54,516 --> 00:15:58,876 Speaker 1: do habitual, they don't require any more work. The problem, though, 256 00:15:59,076 --> 00:16:02,076 Speaker 1: is that not all of our unconscious habitual behaviors are 257 00:16:02,116 --> 00:16:05,476 Speaker 1: good for us. So sitting on the couch when you 258 00:16:05,556 --> 00:16:09,956 Speaker 1: get home at night and eating potato chips that's just 259 00:16:10,116 --> 00:16:13,756 Speaker 1: as much of a habit as going home and then 260 00:16:13,876 --> 00:16:17,716 Speaker 1: just heading out to the gym. One looks habitual and 261 00:16:17,836 --> 00:16:21,356 Speaker 1: structured to us, and the other might look sort of 262 00:16:21,396 --> 00:16:26,676 Speaker 1: a bit lazier, but they're both habits in the same way. Sadly, 263 00:16:26,716 --> 00:16:29,396 Speaker 1: those lazier, not so good for us routines are just 264 00:16:29,476 --> 00:16:32,476 Speaker 1: as automatic as our positive habits, which means that our 265 00:16:32,476 --> 00:16:36,076 Speaker 1: bad habits, the ones that inhibit our happiness, are really 266 00:16:36,116 --> 00:16:38,756 Speaker 1: really hard to shed. We might want to shut those 267 00:16:38,796 --> 00:16:42,236 Speaker 1: habits off, but we can't because our minds are on autopilot. 268 00:16:43,556 --> 00:16:46,596 Speaker 1: But Wendy's work shows that we do have some control 269 00:16:46,836 --> 00:16:50,076 Speaker 1: over when our habit routines get turned on, whether our 270 00:16:50,116 --> 00:16:52,876 Speaker 1: minds unconsciously decided to execute that sit on the couch 271 00:16:52,876 --> 00:16:55,596 Speaker 1: and munch behavior or the throw on our gym closed one. 272 00:16:56,716 --> 00:16:59,196 Speaker 1: The answer comes from the third critical part of our 273 00:16:59,236 --> 00:17:03,556 Speaker 1: habit loops, the context. The context is any part of 274 00:17:03,556 --> 00:17:07,556 Speaker 1: our situation or environment that cues our behavior. For Wendy's 275 00:17:07,596 --> 00:17:10,556 Speaker 1: coffee habit, the context was a location, being in her 276 00:17:10,636 --> 00:17:14,196 Speaker 1: kitchen end, a time of day it was morning end, 277 00:17:14,236 --> 00:17:17,956 Speaker 1: a preceding event she had just woken up. For Richard's 278 00:17:17,956 --> 00:17:20,996 Speaker 1: Heroin Attics, the contacts might be their barracks or the 279 00:17:21,036 --> 00:17:24,756 Speaker 1: site of other gis, using drugs, or just being in Vietnam. 280 00:17:24,836 --> 00:17:28,916 Speaker 1: In our research, we've found that contexts can be pretty 281 00:17:28,996 --> 00:17:32,796 Speaker 1: much everything around you that's not you. It can be 282 00:17:32,836 --> 00:17:36,876 Speaker 1: the people that you're with. There are certain people who 283 00:17:37,476 --> 00:17:42,036 Speaker 1: trigger certain behaviors that we've done with them in the past. 284 00:17:42,956 --> 00:17:46,196 Speaker 1: You may have friends that you typically go and have 285 00:17:46,236 --> 00:17:49,236 Speaker 1: a drink with, and if you see them again, that's 286 00:17:49,236 --> 00:17:52,796 Speaker 1: what tends to come to mind. The moods we're in 287 00:17:53,476 --> 00:17:57,996 Speaker 1: can also be triggers. So I think that one of 288 00:17:58,036 --> 00:18:03,596 Speaker 1: the most common triggers for checking your cell phone is 289 00:18:03,636 --> 00:18:07,356 Speaker 1: being bored. Even if you're in a meeting and it's 290 00:18:07,436 --> 00:18:10,996 Speaker 1: quite rude, you may find yourself checking your phone. You 291 00:18:10,996 --> 00:18:13,516 Speaker 1: don't want to be rude, but the idea of your 292 00:18:13,516 --> 00:18:16,396 Speaker 1: phone just comes to mind when you're bored. When our 293 00:18:16,436 --> 00:18:19,796 Speaker 1: brains notice a context that's associated with the habit, one 294 00:18:19,836 --> 00:18:22,236 Speaker 1: that goes with a particular routine and a certain kind 295 00:18:22,276 --> 00:18:25,756 Speaker 1: of reward, we get an incredibly strong urge to execute 296 00:18:25,756 --> 00:18:28,876 Speaker 1: the habitual behavior, even if it's a behavior that's no 297 00:18:28,916 --> 00:18:33,476 Speaker 1: longer useful or relevant. In fact, Wendy's work has shown 298 00:18:33,516 --> 00:18:37,076 Speaker 1: that ques can ellicit habitual behavior even when the rewards 299 00:18:37,076 --> 00:18:40,756 Speaker 1: from those behaviors aren't even there anymore. She tested this 300 00:18:40,796 --> 00:18:44,836 Speaker 1: out in a clever study involving movie trailer screenings. One 301 00:18:44,876 --> 00:18:47,556 Speaker 1: group of subjects watch the movie trailers on a computer 302 00:18:47,596 --> 00:18:51,316 Speaker 1: in Wendy's lab, just like a typical study, but a 303 00:18:51,356 --> 00:18:54,316 Speaker 1: second group of subjects got to watch the trailers inside 304 00:18:54,316 --> 00:18:58,356 Speaker 1: a movie theater. Wendy was interested in whether the movie 305 00:18:58,356 --> 00:19:02,636 Speaker 1: theater ques spurred on a habitual movie going behavior, popcorn eating, 306 00:19:03,356 --> 00:19:05,596 Speaker 1: But she also wanted to know whether her subjects would 307 00:19:05,596 --> 00:19:08,516 Speaker 1: engage in that habitual behavior even when it was no 308 00:19:08,556 --> 00:19:12,356 Speaker 1: longer reward to do that. She varied the deliciousness of 309 00:19:12,436 --> 00:19:16,796 Speaker 1: the popcorn she offered. Some people got popcorn that was stale, 310 00:19:17,396 --> 00:19:21,156 Speaker 1: and it was really stale, so it had been sitting 311 00:19:21,316 --> 00:19:23,836 Speaker 1: in our lab for a week in a plastic bag. 312 00:19:24,276 --> 00:19:28,156 Speaker 1: It was pretty gross. Others got popcorn that was fresh 313 00:19:28,196 --> 00:19:31,236 Speaker 1: that had just been popped. Very few people who watched 314 00:19:31,276 --> 00:19:33,876 Speaker 1: the film in the lab ate the gross popcorn. They 315 00:19:33,916 --> 00:19:36,196 Speaker 1: didn't have any cues that pushed them to engage in 316 00:19:36,236 --> 00:19:40,196 Speaker 1: an otherwise yucky behavior. But what happened to the subjects 317 00:19:40,236 --> 00:19:44,516 Speaker 1: who experienced all the normal cues of being inside a cinema, well, 318 00:19:44,836 --> 00:19:47,956 Speaker 1: it depended on how they normally acted when watching movies. 319 00:19:48,436 --> 00:19:52,076 Speaker 1: People who had habits to eat popcorn in the movie 320 00:19:52,076 --> 00:19:56,876 Speaker 1: cinema ate just about the same amount of stale popcorn 321 00:19:56,956 --> 00:20:00,596 Speaker 1: as fresh. They could tell us when we asked them 322 00:20:00,596 --> 00:20:04,236 Speaker 1: that they hated the stale popcorn. They ate it anyway. 323 00:20:04,756 --> 00:20:08,556 Speaker 1: People who didn't have habits deep popcorn in the movie 324 00:20:08,556 --> 00:20:12,636 Speaker 1: cinema they did just what you'd expect. But rationally we 325 00:20:12,756 --> 00:20:15,676 Speaker 1: think we would all do, which is eat the fresh popcorn. 326 00:20:16,196 --> 00:20:18,636 Speaker 1: But if they got a bag of stale, just leave it. 327 00:20:18,996 --> 00:20:21,436 Speaker 1: When our brains see a cue that's been associated with 328 00:20:21,476 --> 00:20:25,436 Speaker 1: a habitual behavior, we can't help but execute that behavior, 329 00:20:26,036 --> 00:20:29,876 Speaker 1: even when the behavior is no longer rewarding. But despite 330 00:20:29,876 --> 00:20:32,676 Speaker 1: the power of these cues, Wendy has found that we 331 00:20:32,756 --> 00:20:36,596 Speaker 1: don't often realize how much context affects our behavior, and 332 00:20:36,716 --> 00:20:39,316 Speaker 1: that means we often forget that we can't count on 333 00:20:39,356 --> 00:20:43,236 Speaker 1: our habitual routines once the cues go away, and Wendy 334 00:20:43,276 --> 00:20:46,876 Speaker 1: has seen the negative effects of removing our habitual cues firsthand. 335 00:20:47,556 --> 00:20:51,036 Speaker 1: I bought a new car a few years ago that 336 00:20:51,196 --> 00:20:54,116 Speaker 1: has all kinds of wonderful safety sensors, so it beeps 337 00:20:54,156 --> 00:20:57,836 Speaker 1: when I get close to an obstacle. And I hated 338 00:20:57,876 --> 00:21:00,476 Speaker 1: that at first. It really irritated me because I wasn't 339 00:21:00,556 --> 00:21:05,636 Speaker 1: used to it. But I started responding to those signals automatically. 340 00:21:05,996 --> 00:21:09,516 Speaker 1: Over time, you just stopped noticing them. When the car beeps, 341 00:21:09,516 --> 00:21:13,396 Speaker 1: you just automatically respond to that. And I didn't realize 342 00:21:13,436 --> 00:21:16,676 Speaker 1: how automatic that had become, how much of my driving 343 00:21:16,676 --> 00:21:20,716 Speaker 1: habit that had become, until I rented a car and 344 00:21:20,756 --> 00:21:25,956 Speaker 1: it didn't have that warning sensor system. And the first 345 00:21:25,996 --> 00:21:27,876 Speaker 1: thing I did is I backed into a brick wall. 346 00:21:30,276 --> 00:21:41,476 Speaker 1: The Happiness Lab will be right back. I am a 347 00:21:41,596 --> 00:21:46,916 Speaker 1: Vietnam veteran, a X Marine medic, and an X more 348 00:21:46,996 --> 00:21:51,236 Speaker 1: seen ADDI back. In nineteen seventy one, a documentary called 349 00:21:51,276 --> 00:21:55,156 Speaker 1: GI Junkie followed a group of returning soldiers going through rehab. 350 00:21:55,436 --> 00:21:58,756 Speaker 1: I don't need no peals, no warning. We're an needle 351 00:21:58,796 --> 00:22:01,196 Speaker 1: in my arm. I mean, like, I'm there, I know 352 00:22:01,196 --> 00:22:03,396 Speaker 1: what I want. I'm gonna go get it. The film 353 00:22:03,476 --> 00:22:06,796 Speaker 1: argued that nearly forty thousand hardened GI Junkies were about 354 00:22:06,836 --> 00:22:09,556 Speaker 1: to return to American soil and would soon become a 355 00:22:09,636 --> 00:22:13,596 Speaker 1: major problem, but in reality, no such army of drug 356 00:22:13,636 --> 00:22:16,916 Speaker 1: addicts actually existed. The kind of surprising key is that 357 00:22:16,956 --> 00:22:19,276 Speaker 1: I think, you know, once these soldiers got on the 358 00:22:19,276 --> 00:22:21,476 Speaker 1: plane and got back home, you know they were good. 359 00:22:21,476 --> 00:22:23,636 Speaker 1: Their cravings didn't kick in. They weren't trying to find 360 00:22:23,636 --> 00:22:26,956 Speaker 1: the stuff once they got back, exactly That's exactly right. 361 00:22:27,516 --> 00:22:29,476 Speaker 1: And no one, I don't think anyone could have predicted 362 00:22:29,516 --> 00:22:32,796 Speaker 1: that psychiatrist Richard Ratner had been sent to Vietnam to 363 00:22:32,876 --> 00:22:36,796 Speaker 1: diffuse what one newspaper called a time bomb. And that's 364 00:22:36,796 --> 00:22:40,556 Speaker 1: what made richard soldiers outcomes all the more surprising. A 365 00:22:40,596 --> 00:22:44,156 Speaker 1: team of researchers followed addicted Vietnam vets after they came home. 366 00:22:44,876 --> 00:22:47,756 Speaker 1: The scientists interviewed the men about their recent opioid habits 367 00:22:48,036 --> 00:22:51,716 Speaker 1: and even conducted drug tests using urine samples, and what 368 00:22:51,796 --> 00:22:56,116 Speaker 1: they found pretty much stunned everyone, including Richard. Only a 369 00:22:56,236 --> 00:22:59,476 Speaker 1: very tiny percentage of soldiers continued their drug use after 370 00:22:59,516 --> 00:23:03,156 Speaker 1: they got home. More than ninety percent of soldiers stayed clean. 371 00:23:03,996 --> 00:23:07,316 Speaker 1: Compared to the typical heroin user, Vietnam vets seemed to 372 00:23:07,396 --> 00:23:10,596 Speaker 1: have little trouble kicking the habit. The study was so 373 00:23:10,676 --> 00:23:14,836 Speaker 1: shocking that at first researchers didn't even believe it, but 374 00:23:15,036 --> 00:23:18,476 Speaker 1: slowly behavioral scientists like Richard were able to figure out 375 00:23:18,516 --> 00:23:21,796 Speaker 1: the soldier's secret. They were able to use their contextual 376 00:23:21,836 --> 00:23:25,636 Speaker 1: cues to break their bad habit. Probably the majority of 377 00:23:25,836 --> 00:23:30,196 Speaker 1: users would basically kind of detox on their own. They 378 00:23:30,236 --> 00:23:34,196 Speaker 1: would sell detox while they use this crutch to help 379 00:23:34,236 --> 00:23:39,476 Speaker 1: them get through military life over there. They understood that 380 00:23:39,996 --> 00:23:43,836 Speaker 1: the home environment is very different from this environment. Richard 381 00:23:43,876 --> 00:23:45,956 Speaker 1: realized that a few hours on an airline and a 382 00:23:46,076 --> 00:23:48,636 Speaker 1: change back into civy clothes was enough to break his 383 00:23:48,716 --> 00:23:52,716 Speaker 1: soldier's habit routine. They weren't bored or stressed anymore, and 384 00:23:52,756 --> 00:23:55,596 Speaker 1: they weren't hanging out with their drug taking buddies. They 385 00:23:55,636 --> 00:23:59,196 Speaker 1: also didn't have easy access to cheap heroin. Nearly every 386 00:23:59,196 --> 00:24:02,156 Speaker 1: single one of their habit cues was different. Most of 387 00:24:02,196 --> 00:24:04,916 Speaker 1: these guys, they got home and they kind of reintegrated 388 00:24:04,996 --> 00:24:09,676 Speaker 1: into their previous lives. Richard's veterans success Us and kicking 389 00:24:09,676 --> 00:24:13,076 Speaker 1: heroine has now become a classic example in the science 390 00:24:13,076 --> 00:24:16,956 Speaker 1: of behavior change. Because of a simple context switch can 391 00:24:16,996 --> 00:24:21,076 Speaker 1: be powerful enough to help someone overcome heroin addiction. Imagine 392 00:24:21,116 --> 00:24:24,556 Speaker 1: how powerful it can be for changing simpler behaviors like 393 00:24:24,676 --> 00:24:27,116 Speaker 1: the ones many of us want to change. We did 394 00:24:27,116 --> 00:24:31,596 Speaker 1: some research where we beaped people once an hour to 395 00:24:31,636 --> 00:24:36,276 Speaker 1: figure out what they were thinking, feeling, doing, and what 396 00:24:36,316 --> 00:24:40,436 Speaker 1: we found is that about forty three percent of the time, 397 00:24:40,956 --> 00:24:44,916 Speaker 1: people are doing what they did yesterday and the day 398 00:24:44,956 --> 00:24:49,036 Speaker 1: before in the same context, and they're doing it without 399 00:24:49,116 --> 00:24:51,876 Speaker 1: thinking much about it. The idea that nearly half of 400 00:24:51,916 --> 00:24:55,116 Speaker 1: our waking day is on autopilot, that we're constantly governed 401 00:24:55,116 --> 00:24:59,076 Speaker 1: by cues and context is pretty shocking. But if that's true, 402 00:24:59,436 --> 00:25:01,916 Speaker 1: then it gives us a powerful opportunity to change some 403 00:25:01,996 --> 00:25:04,956 Speaker 1: of our daily behaviors. If we can use our conscious 404 00:25:04,956 --> 00:25:07,716 Speaker 1: minds to exert some control over the context we find 405 00:25:07,716 --> 00:25:10,596 Speaker 1: ourselves in, then we can shift our bad behaviors to 406 00:25:10,676 --> 00:25:14,076 Speaker 1: the ones we want to adopt. Our environments can do 407 00:25:14,156 --> 00:25:18,156 Speaker 1: the same thing for us in pushing us to help 408 00:25:18,236 --> 00:25:22,316 Speaker 1: us meet our goals and making it hard for us 409 00:25:22,476 --> 00:25:27,836 Speaker 1: to stray from the good behaviors that we're trying to practice. 410 00:25:28,796 --> 00:25:30,956 Speaker 1: This is something you can do right now, whether in 411 00:25:30,996 --> 00:25:33,716 Speaker 1: your home or at your workplace. Think of it as 412 00:25:33,796 --> 00:25:37,156 Speaker 1: feng shui for habits, but with an actual scientific basis. 413 00:25:37,996 --> 00:25:40,956 Speaker 1: Make small changes in your environment that provide the cues 414 00:25:41,036 --> 00:25:45,116 Speaker 1: you need to promote good behaviors. Wendy's research has shown 415 00:25:45,156 --> 00:25:48,276 Speaker 1: that simple changes like these work time and again. In 416 00:25:48,316 --> 00:25:53,556 Speaker 1: one study, people had a bowl of apple slices and 417 00:25:53,716 --> 00:25:57,836 Speaker 1: a bowl of hot buttered popcorn. When the apple slices 418 00:25:57,876 --> 00:26:00,876 Speaker 1: were right in front of them and the popcorn was 419 00:26:01,116 --> 00:26:06,396 Speaker 1: arms reached, people ate a third less calories than when 420 00:26:06,436 --> 00:26:08,556 Speaker 1: the popcorn was right in front of them and the 421 00:26:08,596 --> 00:26:13,276 Speaker 1: apples were a reach. I mean, we're talking a minimal 422 00:26:13,356 --> 00:26:20,636 Speaker 1: distance that makes little sense to our conscious thinking cells, 423 00:26:20,676 --> 00:26:26,316 Speaker 1: but to our habits and our automatic reacting cells, that's 424 00:26:26,316 --> 00:26:29,276 Speaker 1: a big difference. We don't realize how much of a 425 00:26:29,356 --> 00:26:33,636 Speaker 1: difference proximity makes to our behavior. But context doesn't just 426 00:26:33,716 --> 00:26:36,556 Speaker 1: affect what we reach for when we're hungry. There are 427 00:26:36,596 --> 00:26:38,676 Speaker 1: lots of simple ways we can use the cues around 428 00:26:38,756 --> 00:26:41,716 Speaker 1: us to disrupt the autopilot behaviors we don't want to 429 00:26:41,756 --> 00:26:45,316 Speaker 1: engage in. There are forces on our environments that make 430 00:26:45,436 --> 00:26:50,396 Speaker 1: some actions more difficult and other actions easier, and those 431 00:26:50,436 --> 00:26:55,956 Speaker 1: resisting forces can be termed friction. It just becomes too difficult. 432 00:26:56,316 --> 00:26:59,236 Speaker 1: The same sort of friction help Vietnam bits avoid drug 433 00:26:59,316 --> 00:27:02,396 Speaker 1: use when they returned home. Many had never taken heroin 434 00:27:02,516 --> 00:27:04,996 Speaker 1: before going to war, so they'd actually have to find 435 00:27:05,036 --> 00:27:08,116 Speaker 1: a dealer, and the heroine available in the States was 436 00:27:08,116 --> 00:27:10,996 Speaker 1: a far lower quality, which meant that soldiers would have 437 00:27:11,036 --> 00:27:13,996 Speaker 1: to inject it rather than snort or smoke it. The 438 00:27:14,076 --> 00:27:17,356 Speaker 1: price was also far far higher, and the GI's mood 439 00:27:17,356 --> 00:27:20,756 Speaker 1: had shifted completely. Those feelings of boredom that drove them 440 00:27:20,756 --> 00:27:23,596 Speaker 1: to use opioids. Those were replaced by the excitement of 441 00:27:23,596 --> 00:27:26,996 Speaker 1: being home and just the pace of normal life. Each 442 00:27:27,036 --> 00:27:29,276 Speaker 1: and every one of the cues that prompted that heroine 443 00:27:29,316 --> 00:27:33,956 Speaker 1: routine was gone, and this is super important because these 444 00:27:34,036 --> 00:27:37,756 Speaker 1: contextual changes were more powerful than any of the detox 445 00:27:37,836 --> 00:27:40,996 Speaker 1: ideas the army came up with. The new cues meant 446 00:27:40,996 --> 00:27:43,276 Speaker 1: that soldiers just didn't think about the reward of a 447 00:27:43,316 --> 00:27:47,076 Speaker 1: quick heroine hit because their entire habit chains were disrupted. 448 00:27:48,076 --> 00:27:51,036 Speaker 1: But frictions can also be introduced to tackle the problems 449 00:27:51,036 --> 00:27:55,276 Speaker 1: associated with legal drugs. In the middle of the last century, 450 00:27:55,436 --> 00:27:57,996 Speaker 1: we all learned that smoking was bad for US. About 451 00:27:58,036 --> 00:28:01,956 Speaker 1: half of America smoked at that point, but smoking still 452 00:28:02,036 --> 00:28:07,876 Speaker 1: didn't go down. Smoking rates continued reasonably high until the 453 00:28:07,996 --> 00:28:14,596 Speaker 1: US decided to put friction on smoking by taxing cigarettes 454 00:28:14,836 --> 00:28:18,356 Speaker 1: so you can't afford them, as easily, banning smoking in 455 00:28:18,476 --> 00:28:23,756 Speaker 1: public places, and by making it difficult to purchase cigarettes 456 00:28:23,756 --> 00:28:26,436 Speaker 1: so that you actually have to ask somebody. And all 457 00:28:26,436 --> 00:28:30,876 Speaker 1: of those things combined put enough friction on smoking so 458 00:28:30,916 --> 00:28:34,836 Speaker 1: that the smoking rates in the US are now down 459 00:28:34,876 --> 00:28:38,276 Speaker 1: to a level of only fifteen percent of US smoke. 460 00:28:38,716 --> 00:28:41,356 Speaker 1: And that's because of friction. Even if you don't smoke 461 00:28:41,476 --> 00:28:44,076 Speaker 1: or use illegal drugs. There's a lesson here for you. 462 00:28:44,836 --> 00:28:46,916 Speaker 1: Think about the things you want to change in your life, 463 00:28:47,236 --> 00:28:49,676 Speaker 1: the bad habits you want to stop, or the good 464 00:28:49,676 --> 00:28:52,596 Speaker 1: habits you want to adopt. We can use the conscious 465 00:28:52,636 --> 00:28:55,516 Speaker 1: part of our brain to increase friction, to inhibit our 466 00:28:55,556 --> 00:28:58,396 Speaker 1: bad habits and break down the barriers that prevent us 467 00:28:58,396 --> 00:29:01,356 Speaker 1: from doing the good ones. Are there social media apps 468 00:29:01,356 --> 00:29:03,796 Speaker 1: that drive you nuts but you can't help checking whenever 469 00:29:03,836 --> 00:29:07,476 Speaker 1: you pick up your phone, Well delete them. Do you 470 00:29:07,476 --> 00:29:10,316 Speaker 1: want to call your mom more often, well, then choose 471 00:29:10,316 --> 00:29:13,196 Speaker 1: a photo of her as your screensaver. Don't want to 472 00:29:13,196 --> 00:29:16,436 Speaker 1: buy certain items in the store, plan your shopping trip 473 00:29:16,476 --> 00:29:18,996 Speaker 1: to avoid the candy aisle. Or maybe you want to 474 00:29:18,996 --> 00:29:20,916 Speaker 1: try some of the new habits that we've talked about 475 00:29:20,956 --> 00:29:25,156 Speaker 1: in this season, like experiencing more gratitude, then download a 476 00:29:25,196 --> 00:29:27,716 Speaker 1: gratitude app and stick it front and center on your phone. 477 00:29:28,516 --> 00:29:30,316 Speaker 1: Or maybe you want to make better use of your time, 478 00:29:30,956 --> 00:29:33,716 Speaker 1: then put that time windfall list somewhere you can see 479 00:29:33,716 --> 00:29:37,396 Speaker 1: it easily. In all of these examples, you can hack 480 00:29:37,436 --> 00:29:39,956 Speaker 1: the cues around you to help promote the kinds of 481 00:29:39,996 --> 00:29:43,836 Speaker 1: behaviors that you want in your life. Wendy had to 482 00:29:43,876 --> 00:29:46,956 Speaker 1: go through this exact same conscious process when her daily 483 00:29:46,996 --> 00:29:50,796 Speaker 1: fitness habit took a nosedive thanks to motherhood. Rather than 484 00:29:50,836 --> 00:29:53,796 Speaker 1: powering through or giving up, she analyzed where her growing 485 00:29:53,836 --> 00:29:56,436 Speaker 1: family was adding a bit of friction to her workout plans. 486 00:29:56,716 --> 00:30:00,316 Speaker 1: Every time I decided two o'clock, three o'clock, four o'clock, 487 00:30:00,796 --> 00:30:03,916 Speaker 1: maybe a six o'clock tonight, I'll exercise, something always comes 488 00:30:03,956 --> 00:30:06,796 Speaker 1: up when you have little children. So I decided I 489 00:30:06,796 --> 00:30:10,436 Speaker 1: would have to start exercising early in the Although it 490 00:30:10,516 --> 00:30:14,836 Speaker 1: was a really dreadful thing to start doing, once you 491 00:30:14,916 --> 00:30:18,036 Speaker 1: get used to it, it actually is very efficient. So 492 00:30:18,076 --> 00:30:21,156 Speaker 1: at six am, Wendy would be ready to exercise. But 493 00:30:21,476 --> 00:30:24,716 Speaker 1: what exercise? Wendy realized it had to be something with 494 00:30:24,796 --> 00:30:28,316 Speaker 1: as few frictions as possible. I didn't have much time 495 00:30:28,356 --> 00:30:33,516 Speaker 1: to drive to a gym or do any fancy workout thing. 496 00:30:33,596 --> 00:30:36,116 Speaker 1: I couldn't go to a class. I just didn't have 497 00:30:36,316 --> 00:30:39,796 Speaker 1: that level of control over my time, so it had 498 00:30:39,836 --> 00:30:42,516 Speaker 1: to be something that was very efficient and easy for 499 00:30:42,556 --> 00:30:44,956 Speaker 1: me to do. And putting your running shoes on and 500 00:30:45,476 --> 00:30:49,316 Speaker 1: going out the door is probably the most frictionless kind 501 00:30:49,356 --> 00:30:53,036 Speaker 1: of exercise that you could imagine. I actually used to 502 00:30:53,076 --> 00:30:55,716 Speaker 1: sleep in my running clothes. I hate to admit this, 503 00:30:56,036 --> 00:31:00,636 Speaker 1: but that was another thing that reduced the friction. Talking 504 00:31:00,676 --> 00:31:03,276 Speaker 1: with Wendy has really inspired me to think about how 505 00:31:03,276 --> 00:31:06,276 Speaker 1: I can use my conscious brain to hack the autopilot 506 00:31:06,396 --> 00:31:10,076 Speaker 1: of all my bad habits. I'm already strategies I can 507 00:31:10,156 --> 00:31:12,876 Speaker 1: use to increase or reduce friction so I'll be able 508 00:31:12,876 --> 00:31:15,916 Speaker 1: to reach my own well being goals literally without thinking. 509 00:31:17,116 --> 00:31:18,916 Speaker 1: I hope you've gotten some insight into how you can 510 00:31:18,956 --> 00:31:21,516 Speaker 1: hack your own habits, and I hope you'll be willing 511 00:31:21,516 --> 00:31:24,116 Speaker 1: to form a new, happier habit and send up all 512 00:31:24,156 --> 00:31:26,876 Speaker 1: your contextcuse to remind you to come back for the 513 00:31:26,876 --> 00:31:30,596 Speaker 1: next episode of the Happiness Lab with me, Doctor Laurie Santos. 514 00:31:43,276 --> 00:31:45,916 Speaker 1: The Happiness Lab is co written and produced by Ryan Dilley. 515 00:31:46,476 --> 00:31:50,316 Speaker 1: Our original music was composed by Zachary Silver, with additional scoring, 516 00:31:50,436 --> 00:31:53,916 Speaker 1: mixing and mastering by Evan Viola. Pete Notaton also helped 517 00:31:53,916 --> 00:31:57,356 Speaker 1: with production. Joseph Friedman checked our facts and our editing 518 00:31:57,516 --> 00:32:00,196 Speaker 1: was done by Sophie Crane mckibbon. Special thanks to mie 519 00:32:00,276 --> 00:32:04,596 Speaker 1: La Belle, Carl mcgliori, Heather Fame, Julia Barton, Maggie Taylor, 520 00:32:04,836 --> 00:32:09,516 Speaker 1: Maya Kanig, Jacob Weisberg, and my agent, Ben Davis. Inslav 521 00:32:09,636 --> 00:32:12,236 Speaker 1: is brought to you by Pushkin Industries and me Doctor 522 00:32:12,316 --> 00:32:13,036 Speaker 1: Laurie Santos