Best article about forming habits I've seen

[abendgules]

Again, scrolling through Ed Yong's 'missing links' and he's pointed to a terrific article in the NYT called 'How companies learn your secrets'.

It's about marketing data, how and why we form habits, and how (large) companies are using your purchasing records to guess when you will change your habits and develop new ones - in this case, when you find out you're pregant.

There's also a sizeable discussion about forming, and reforming habits, learned from behavioural psych.

It's sad that most of this research is currently going into figuring out how to make us buy more products we don't need, rather than helping us make more significant decisions - forming healthier habits, challenge our kneejerk reactions that hurt us or others.

It says a lot about 'free will' - that we're not nearly as free as we think we are, and much more governed by internal habits than we care to think.

Anyway - I think the habit-forming discussion would be of interest to larmer and kes_zone - two of the most habit-forming people I know. :-)

Comments

[chequey.livejournal.com]

I find kes_zone quite habit-forming - addictive, even!

Larmer, less so...

[larmer.livejournal.com]

I'm happy on both counts.

[bend-gules.livejournal.com]

Ah Larmer you charmer! Your taste in icons brings out the real you...

[kes-zone.livejournal.com]

You are habit forming too. I think it is all the salt. I always want seconds!

[larmer.livejournal.com]

Thanks that was an interesting article. Buried in 'big business is spying on us' is an interesting science lesson. The fact habits save us energy shows up that changing of habits takes energy and we only have so much energy in a day. This is why trying to change many habits at once fails.

I do like the unfortunate story about the irate Father.

Again thanks.

Now how to figure out creating a habit of going to bed by 9:30.

[mariedeblois.livejournal.com]

Not enough money in truly helping people. :(

Thanks for sharing, though.

[thorngrove.livejournal.com]

Yep, it's all horrifyingly true [cheerfully says the person who's worked for a geodemographics information marketing company for over a decade]