Whether it’s compulsively checking your email or eating one more cookie than you should, we all have bad habits.
But even if you know it’s bad and you berate yourself for doing it, why is it so difficult to stop?
Dopamine. That wonderful chemical, affecting motivation and reward, can actually deter you from focusing on what is important.
Take for example when you have a piece of chocolate. The delicious experience releases a surge of dopamine and creates a memory in your brain. So the next time you see chocolate, your brain releases more dopamine, which drives you to want the chocolate and perpetuates the habitual cycle.
How can we break the cycle? How can we stop a bad habit we’ve continued for years?
The answer is actually quite positive. Instead of punishing yourself, reward yourself every time you avoid the bad habit. The reward engages your dopamine system, so breaking the habit will eventually start to feel good. And the sooner you reward yourself, the faster your brain will rewire to focus on more positive activities.