Can You Rewire Your Brain to Make or Change a Habit?
Our Book Club this month is reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. While he did not come up with the idea that you can rewire your brain to change your habits, he does explain it in a manner that is easy to understand and implement. Can we apply these principles as lawyers and legal professionals to improve our careers as well as our private lives?
According to Clear, a habit can be broken down into four parts: Cue, Craving, Response, and Reward. The Cue is the outside stimulus that triggers the habit, the Craving is the internal drive to engage in the behavior, the Response is the behavior itself, and the Reward is the satisfaction or pleasure received from the behavior. This cycle is true for both good and bad habits.
Cue, Craving, Response, and Reward
If you want to change a habit, the first step is to identify the Cue, Craving, Response, and Reward associated with the behavior. Then, you can try to change the Response and find a different Reward. For example, if you have a habit of pouring a glass of wine every night after you put the kids to bed, the Cue is kids finally in bed, the Craving is a perceived need to unwind or share time with your spouse, the Response is pouring a glass of wine, and the Reward is the taste and satisfaction from drinking the wine.
However, as we’ve discussed before, daily alcohol habits are likely not serving you well. To change this habit, you can try to replace the response with a healthier behavior, such as drinking a satisfying non-alcoholic beverage, taking a bath, reading a good book or other healthy treats. Then you acknowledge and think about how this Response offers a different and better Reward, such as feeling satisfied with the healthier choice, sleeping better that night, waking up refreshed, and other benefits.
Patience and Persistence is Key to Significant Change Over Time
Rewiring your brain requires patience and persistence. The key to changing a habit is to repeat the new Response and Reward until the new behavior becomes automatic. Over time, the Reward will become associated with the Cue and the new habit will become ingrained in your brain.
It's also important to note that habits are often rooted in emotions and beliefs, and changing them requires more than just changing the behavior. You may need to address the underlying emotions and beliefs to make the change permanent. For example, if you have a habit of overeating when you feel stressed, you may need to find healthier ways to manage stress, such as exercise or meditation, in addition to changing your eating habits.
Changing habits by rewiring your brain is a powerful way to improve your life. By breaking down your habits into Cue, Craving, Response, and Reward, you can identify the root of your behavior and change it. Remember, change takes time and effort, but with persistence and patience, you can develop new, healthier habits that will enrich your life.
Read Atomic Habits by James Clear with us this month for an in-depth explanation of these ideas and many, many more!
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