[ A THREAD ] answering the question:

What are habit loops?

Up to 95% of the things you do each day are the result of habits

Habits are four-part loops

Cue > Craving > Response > Reward

In this thread, I'll break down each part of the loop!

(1/8)
Let's use the example of snacking

Whenever you feel bored, stressed, or sad

You go to the kitchen to grab a snack

It makes you feel better in the moment, but you've noticed it's affected your waistline

(2/8)
① Cue

For this example, feeling a negative emotion is the [cue]

You could feel:

∙ tired because you didn't sleep well
∙ unengaged in what you're doing
∙ sad about a personal issue
∙ stressed about a deadline

(3/8)
② Craving

When the feeling hits, you start [craving] a snack

Your brain thinks it will lift your spirits and make you feel better

A voice in your head says "man, some Dortios would be good right now..."

The craving gets even more annoying than what was bothering you

(4/8)
③ Response

Even if you try to resist, you eventually cave - you [respond]

You get up, go to the kitchen, and grab a bag of Dortios

A few minutes later, there's red dust all over your desk and a sense of self-disgust in your gut

(5/8)
④ Reward

Though you're annoyed with yourself for giving in to the urge

The craving has been satisfied, so you feel [rewarded] for your snacking

The habit loop has grown a little stronger

Breaking it will be a little harder

(6/8)
① You're CUED by the bad feeling
② You CRAVE a snack
③ You RESPOND by going to get a snack
④ Your REWARD is feeling better

The habit loop model was popularized by Charles Duhigg's book The Power of Habit

It was expanded upon in James Clear's book Atomic Habits

(7/8)
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