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Welcome back everyone for another deep dive and this time we're going to be looking at the world of habits.
Oh, exciting!
Yeah, I think it's something we all kind of think about, we all have habits we want to change or at least understand better.
Yeah, absolutely and you know what's so interesting about this book is it really breaks down like the science behind habits in a way that's both insightful and practical.
Yeah, for sure.
So it's not just like willpower, it's like really understanding the underlying mechanics.
Okay, I am ready to dive into the mechanics, let's do it.
Let's go!
So the author starts with a story about this guy who quit smoking and like I think a lot of people can relate to that right, trying to break a habit like that or trying to quit something and it's kind of a surprising method I thought.
Yeah, it really highlights the power of perspective.
So instead of like dwelling on the negatives of quitting like the deprivation or the withdrawal, this guy like focused on the positives.
Okay.
He would tell himself like I get to breathe easier, I get to save money, you know, just kind of reframing the whole experience.
So it's like changing your internal dialogue, almost like you're tricking your brain into seeing the upside, but how does that actually like work?
It's more than tricking your brain, I think it's about, you know, when you reframe something it helps to reduce the stress associated with change.
It's like when you're thinking oh I have to go to the gym, you say I get to go move my body and feel energized, you know, just that subtle shift in the way you're speaking can actually have a real impact on your motivation.
Yeah, I can see that, I mean it takes something that you're kind of dreading and turns it into more of an opportunity and speaking of opportunity, this book kind of dives into some pretty fascinating stuff about the root causes of our habits.
Yeah.
Like where does stuff come from?
Why do we do the things we do?
Right and like it turns out that every habit, you know, whether it's biting your nails or scrolling on social media, it all stems from like a deeper often unconscious motive and the author outlines these five core motives that drive most of our behavior.
Okay, spill the beans.
I want to know what are these five secret drivers lurking within us?
Well, they're not so secret once you start thinking about them.
Okay.
But the first is to conserve energy.
Okay.
The second is to obtain food and water.
Makes sense.
The third is to find love and reproduce.
Okay.
The fourth is to connect and bond with others.
Oh.
To win social acceptance and approval.
Okay.
To reduce uncertainty.
Gotcha.
And to achieve status and prestige.
Wow, that covers a lot of ground.
Yeah.
I mean, it makes you realize how much of our like daily behavior is tied to these like primal instincts.
Exactly.
Yeah.
Like, you know, take the urge to check your phone first thing in the morning.
Oh, yeah.
Guilty.
You know, that's often driven by that need to reduce uncertainty, like you're craving information to kind of ease your mind and start your day.
So even our like modern day habits are really just like expressions of these like ancient desires.
Pretty much.
That is kind of a mind blowing realization.
Yeah.
But if we're not like consciously aware of these motives,
how can we change our habits?
How do we even begin to address that?
Well, that's where the author introduces this concept of the prediction queue craving cycle.
Okay.
So our brains are constantly making predictions about the future based on our past experiences.
Predictions, huh?
So like, our brains are kind of like fortune tellers in a way.
Kind of, yeah.
But what does that have to do with habits?
Well, it's all about how our brains link certain cues with specific outcomes.
Okay.
Like,
you know, you see a hot stove, you predict that if you touch it, it's going to hurt.
Right.
And so that prediction triggers this craving to avoid the pain.
Yeah.
Okay.
I can see that with like something obvious, like a hot stove.
Yeah.
But what about like the habit of checking social media every few minutes?
Like, how does that fit in?
Same principle.
You see that notification on your phone and your brain predicts a hit of dopamine, you know, from seeing something interesting or getting a like.
Yeah.
And so that prediction triggers that craving to check, even if you're like consciously trying to avoid it.
Oh, so it's like our brains are constantly making these kind of predictions.
And it just like sets off this chain reaction of cravings that leads to like our habits, like a domino effect.
And exactly like a domino effect.
It's a fascinating cycle.
And understanding it is crucial, like you said, for breaking those unwanted habits.
But it's not just about breaking bad habits.
It's also about creating good ones.
Oh, so this prediction cue craving thing can actually work in our favor too.
Absolutely.
All years, tell me more.
So the book talks about this concept called the inversion of the second law of behavior and it's all about making difficult habits more attractive.
Okay, that sounds promising.
I definitely have a few habits I'd love to make a little more enticing.
So the key is to associate the habit with something positive.
Like, you know, the author talks about this writer who struggled to like get started each day.
You know, he created this little motivation ritual where he would listen to the same upbeat song before sitting down to write.
And that simple act like transformed this dreaded task into something that he actually looked forward to.
That's such a good example.
It's like using the power of association to rewire your brain's reward system.
Exactly.
Okay, so what other tricks does this book have up his sleeve?
Well, there are several strategies for making habits easier or harder to stick to.
Okay.
And the author calls them inversions of the laws of behavior change.
Inversions.
Okay, these inversions sound like powerful tools.
Let's break it down.
Where do we start?
Well, the first inversion is make it invisible.
And it's all about removing cues that trigger bad habits from your environment.
Okay.
Like if you're trying to cut back on sugary snacks, you might hide the cookie jar or avoid walking down the snack aisle at the grocery store.
So out of sight out of mind.
But instead of just forgetting about the cookies, you're actively reducing the chances of even encountering those tempting cues.
Right.
Pretty clever.
And if make it invisible is about avoiding temptation, the next inversion make it difficult focuses on adding friction to the habit loop.
Okay, so we're making those bad habits less appealing by making them harder to do.
Exactly.
How does that work in practice?
Let's say you want to spend less time scrolling on your phone.
You could put your phone in a drawer in another room, log out of social media apps, or even use an app that limits your screen time.
The key is to create enough friction that you have to pause and think before indulging.
That's a brilliant strategy.
It gives you that moment to make a conscious decision instead of just acting on autopilot.
Okay, I'm feeling empowered already.
What's the next inversion?
So the third inversion is make it unsatisfying.
Okay.
And this one focuses on highlighting the negative consequences of the bad habit.
Okay.
It's about shifting your perspective from short term pleasure to long term consequences.
So instead of focusing on the immediate gratification of that second slice of cake, you might remind yourself of how sluggish and bloated it will make you feel later.
Exactly.
Or if you're trying to cut back on social media, you might focus on how comparing yourself to others online can make you feel inadequate.
Right.
By associating the habit with negative feelings, you weaken its appeal.
This is making me think about all the ways I could use these inversions to break some of my less than desirable habits.
But what about the flip side?
How can we