Want to adopt healthier habits? Instead of focusing on willpower and self-discipline, try this, writes ckbergland
Historically, most neuroscientists thought that automized habitual behaviors were mediated primarily by cortical regions in the cerebral cortex and that automaticity involved a process of transferring control from cortical to subcortical brain networks. However, accumulating 21st-century evidence suggests that subcortical structures such as the basal ganglia's striatum make significant contributions to initial behavioral learning, habit formation, and automaticity.
"For years, scientists thought that habits and learning new, rewarding actions were most likely controlled by different parts of the brain. Surprisingly, we found that a brain area traditionally thought to specialize in the expression of old habits may also help the brain learn new actions," senior author Paul Kenny said in an August 2021"We were surprised by these results.
As the authors explain,"While the effects of nudges are statistically robust regardless of whether or not they automate some aspect of the decision-making process, there is suggestive evidence that automaticity produces larger effects."
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