How Long Does it Take to Form a Habit?

Before doing any research, I believed the rumor that it takes 21 successful attempts of of an action for it to become a habit. In gymnastics, I would respond to my coach’s correction by leaping with straight legs instead of bent legs; I hoped that after 21 leaps with straight legs, I would no longer have to pay specific attention to straightening my legs. After researching this myth I realized why following this technique never seemed to work. The rumor has circulated around for many years, and varies in form because of this. Some people believe that it takes 21 or a different number of days for something to become a habit, rather than 21 tries. In this case, the alternative hypothesis is that there is a certain number of days or repeated actions until a routine becomes a habit, and the null hypothesis is that there is no specific number or timeframe.

According to this article, a plastic surgeon noticed that it took approximately 21 days for people to form habits, and from there the rumor took off without further scientific investigation. Along with other health psychology researchers, Phillippa Lally studied 96 subjects over 12 weeks. In this experimental study, the subjects each chose a habit that they tried to develop, and the researchers studied how long it took them to develop that new habit. They proved the null hypothesis to be true, which is that it does not take 21 days, or any certain amount of time to develop a new habit. Instead, the amount of time needed to form each habit depended on individual variables like the person’s behavior and the habit they were trying to form. Basically, there were too many confounding variables. In general, it took the subjects anywhere from two to eight months to form a new habit. In addition, the article also notes that it was not necessary to perform the task perfectly in order for the habit to form.

This image came from http://www.attunefoods.com/blog/2013/10/30-days-to-kick-bad-habits/

This image came from http://www.attunefoods.com/blog/2013/10/30-days-to-kick-bad-habits/

My null hypothesis was proven: there is not one strict, specific formula for how to form a habit. Every person and every habit is different, so forming or breaking a habit must be handled differently in each situation. There is, however, a general framework for how a habit is formed. First there is a cue, which is what tells the brain to start the action. Next is the routine, which is the action itself, and lastly, the person benefits from the routine in some way. As the process of a cue, a routine, and a reward loops over time, the brain ceases to make conscious choices about the pattern. Part of forming a habit is embracing that you are going to be doing that action in the long run, not just for a short 3 week period. This is why the reward part of the cycle is so necessary – people need an incentive to continue the action until it becomes second nature. This process can be short or long, so it is important to be open-minded and committed when trying to form a new habit.

http://home.d47.org/lmfennell/files/2015/03/Unit-5-How-Long-Does-It-Actually-Take-to-Form-a-New-Habit.pdf

https://sivers.org/book/PowerOfHabit

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