We all have them. They range from affectionate personality highlights to the downright deal breaking unforgivable quirks. But why are we all so addicted to our own habits?
The American Journal of Psychology (1903) defines a habit as "A habit, from the standpoint of psychology, is a more or less fixed way of thinking, willing, or feeling acquired through previous repetition of a mental experience."
I personally find it really interesting that if certain behaviours are repeated in the same context the automaticity also increases, this is particularly relevant to tasks people perform every day, like making food or tasks at work. This is because the behaviours are imprinted in the pathways of our brains, the longer we have our habits, the harder they are to ignore.
In some people, habits become compulsions. Things you have no control over, things you have to do in sometimes daily circumstances. Habits can manifest feelings, leg tappers and nail biters typically exhibit their habits when they are restless, anxious or angry.
Habits can change because people can change, it’s part of our adaptable survival mind-set. People can quit smoking, nail biting or drive a different way to work. Speech patterns can alter if you move to a different place or even a different country.
Our habits make us unique, they write into the details of our individuality. We can choose to change the habits we make, but it’s not easy. Human beings naturally adapt to routines as a form of efficiency, and some people have naturally obsessive or addictive personalities. This makes habits more ingrained in some people than others.
So what are my habits? I move my food around my plate before i eat it. I itch my fingers and palms when i’m nervous. I hum a lot. I get dressed in a specific order.
Albeit mundane, my habits are part of me. I will probably always do them and they will always annoy my mother. But because I am so aware of my own personal choices, I am fascinated by other peoples. I will casually glance over the top of my coffee to see other people sat at tables stirring their drink first. Then adding sugar. Then stirring again, or people drumming on tables, releasing whatever rhythm is in their head.
The American Journal of Psychology (1903) defines a habit as "A habit, from the standpoint of psychology, is a more or less fixed way of thinking, willing, or feeling acquired through previous repetition of a mental experience."
I personally find it really interesting that if certain behaviours are repeated in the same context the automaticity also increases, this is particularly relevant to tasks people perform every day, like making food or tasks at work. This is because the behaviours are imprinted in the pathways of our brains, the longer we have our habits, the harder they are to ignore.
In some people, habits become compulsions. Things you have no control over, things you have to do in sometimes daily circumstances. Habits can manifest feelings, leg tappers and nail biters typically exhibit their habits when they are restless, anxious or angry.
There are two main kinds of habit behaviour. The first is concerned with habits that occur when specific tasks are being performed; making a cup of tea, driving to work. The second concerns habits that happen in any environment or activity. These habits are often performed subconsciously and most people are unaware of them until they are pointed out directly by somebody else.
Habits can change because people can change, it’s part of our adaptable survival mind-set. People can quit smoking, nail biting or drive a different way to work. Speech patterns can alter if you move to a different place or even a different country.
Our habits make us unique, they write into the details of our individuality. We can choose to change the habits we make, but it’s not easy. Human beings naturally adapt to routines as a form of efficiency, and some people have naturally obsessive or addictive personalities. This makes habits more ingrained in some people than others.
So when is a habit not a habit? Some general behaviours are not habits. Conscious repeated decisions are similar to habits but they aren’t the same. They carry a different mental signature because a different part of the human consciousness controls them.
I consciously walk a certain route to the dog park to avoid an overly excitable boxer (dog, not human) who sticks his head out of a five bar gate and tries to grab my dog like a piece of sushi going past on a conveyer belt. I chose this route for practicality but because the behaviour is repeated, it becomes subconscious and ingrained into my thoughts before I even put my shoes on to go out. It doesn’t matter that the dog might not be there all the time, or that they might get a new gate. I will always avoid that house.
So what are my habits? I move my food around my plate before i eat it. I itch my fingers and palms when i’m nervous. I hum a lot. I get dressed in a specific order.
Albeit mundane, my habits are part of me. I will probably always do them and they will always annoy my mother. But because I am so aware of my own personal choices, I am fascinated by other peoples. I will casually glance over the top of my coffee to see other people sat at tables stirring their drink first. Then adding sugar. Then stirring again, or people drumming on tables, releasing whatever rhythm is in their head.
The next time you go out, I encourage you to try and spot some habits. I guarantee you everybody has at least one. Maybe, as a writer, I am eagerly and overly observant. Or, maybe its another habit I wasn’t aware of?
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