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To Change Habits, Try Replacement Instead

nytimes.com

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Re: To Change Habits, Try Replacement Instead

#61

Post by SwellJoe »

When training animals, particularly dogs, it's (I think) pretty well-known that redirecting to positive behaviors is much more effective than punishing unwanted behaviors (so much so that one could say "punishment does not work at all compared to redirecting to desired behaviors" without much exaggeration). i.e. when a dog chews on a sofa cushion, put a dog chew in their mouth or direct them to go get their toy or chew or whatever. When they jump up on people, put them in a sit-stay, then you can praise them for doing a good thing. This is just a human, self-directed, version of that, I think.

I'm not saying people are like dogs, but...people are kinda like dogs.

Re: To Change Habits, Try Replacement Instead

#63

Post by patatino »

tmuir wrote: post #14

There was an author named Allen Carr, an Englishman, I believe, who wrote a book called The EasyWay to Quit Smoking. I can attest to the relative ease his method provides, over quitting cold turkey. Essentially, he uses tools of psychology to reinforce his points, such as spaced repetition, but he also dissects the psychology at play inside the smoker's mind. He frames nicotene addiction as a state of brainwashing, a…

I don't remember where I read it but I said something like "90% of all smokers stop smoking at some point in their life" and all I could think of was no way I'm in the 10% loser group who can't stop. If 90% can do it, I can do it too.

That is how I managed to stop smoking.

Re: To Change Habits, Try Replacement Instead

#64

Post by jacobush »

SwellJoe wrote: post #61

When training animals, particularly dogs, it's (I think) pretty well-known that redirecting to positive behaviors is much more effective than punishing unwanted behaviors (so much so that one could say "punishment does not work at all compared to redirecting to desired behaviors" without much exaggeration). i.e. when a dog chews on a sofa cushion, put a dog chew in their mouth or direct them to go get their toy or ch…

We sort of have dogs within. We are super sets of dogs.

Edit: it must follow we are rather cute within. Dogs are cute!

Re: To Change Habits, Try Replacement Instead

#65

Post by jacobush »

ClassyJacket wrote: post #50
fyfy18 wrote: post #38

Has anyone got any tips for how to stop biting nails? This technique sounds like it would work for some habits, but I do this subconciously without realising - usually when I’m deep in though on something else (not when I’m streased).

If anyone could help me stop scratching my face, scalp, and arms until I bleed I would be forever grateful. The effect on my life is profound.

Scratch something is else till it "bleeds"? Get something scratch-y. Or as the other here suggested, decide you can scratch only your arms and scalp but not the face and go from there.

Re: To Change Habits, Try Replacement Instead

#66

Post by psergeant »

loblollyboy wrote: post #11
psergeant wrote: post #5

I’ve found committing a large chunk of money, in front of friends, to causes I detest it I don’t hit my goals, to be like a magic wand for this stuff. UKIP haven’t yet received £1,500 from me, and each week I’ve been tremendously productive and done everything I set out to with that as a threat

That’s cool and all, but doesn’t really work if you’re trying to, say, stop being anxious on public transit.

I would _highly_ recommend “Freedom from Nervous Suffering” if that’s your issue. Claims to be a book about agoraphobia, but properly fixed once and for all my fear of flying.

Re: To Change Habits, Try Replacement Instead

#67

Post by oh_sigh »

dwaltrip wrote: post #30
blunte wrote: post #2

Here is a much more powerful proof that changing environment can help you change yourself. https://jamesclear.com/heroin-habits

Synopsis: 95% of U.S. soldiers addicted to heroin during the Vietnam War broke their addiction nearly overnight , when they returned home to the states. Only 5% relapsed back into addiction. Apparently, relapse rates for heroin clinics are normally around 90%. When the soldiers changed environments to a place that contained none of the stimuli-triggers for heroin usage that they had overseas, they found it far easier…

I wonder if tourists who get addicted carry the habit back at a different rate? Part of the reason to explain the GIs drug usage was, well, they were in a nasty war and probably knew some people who were KIA and wanted an escape.

Re: To Change Habits, Try Replacement Instead

#68

Post by newfoundglory »

grimgrin wrote: post #25
btrettel wrote: post #18

The linked article seems to suggest that you can replace bad habits with arbitrary other habits. Maybe that's true, but I think it's best to change your situation so that the right choice is the easiest to make. I've discussed this in the context of transportation cycling at HN in the past: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16515129 > As a transportation cyclist, some people I know think I must have superhuman wil…

Well you do have a choice when it’s raining. You could take the bus. I guess you don’t like the bus, but you do have a choice!

In my case, taking the bus is a good 15-20 minutes slower than biking, so by the time I'm looking at rain and having second thoughts, I'm usually too late to catch a bus and be at work on time. Very effective!

Re: To Change Habits, Try Replacement Instead

#69

Post by rhizome »

gboudrias wrote: post #22

Psych major here, every behaviorist (and psych major) knows this. Ironic that they feel the need to quote Carl Jung for a totally banal effect of learning: Doing nothing is harder than doing something else.

Doing nothing is harder than doing something else.

Interesting concept, do you have any links or cites for more info?

Re: To Change Habits, Try Replacement Instead

#70

Post by rhizome »

fyfy18 wrote: post #38

Has anyone got any tips for how to stop biting nails? This technique sounds like it would work for some habits, but I do this subconciously without realising - usually when I’m deep in though on something else (not when I’m streased).

I was an inveterate biter, and I had to use small pieces of tape (Micropore[ is almost invisible) over the "ends" or edges (such as they were) of my nails, just about 5mm x 10mm pieces. This was effective to put something between my teeth and my nails to cause me to think twice (i.e. drag it out of my subconscious) and decide not to. I've gone from nubs to nail files for 8 fingers and I'm about to finish the remaining two off over the next month or so.

1. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012TD02PS/

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