James Clear

So things like what causes somebody to try a habit in the first place? You haven't experienced the reward at that point. So why would you take the first bite of a pancake or the first smoke of a cigarette? What would motivate you to do that? Started with BF Skinner stimulus response reward.

Charles Duhigg in Power of Habit kind of popularized his cue routine reward, but we say, okay, habits are a cue, and then there's the action, there's some kind of outcome. Well, how come two people respond differently to the same thing?

Charles Duhigg in Power of Habit kind of popularized his cue routine reward, but we say, okay, habits are a cue, and then there's the action, there's some kind of outcome. Well, how come two people respond differently to the same thing?

Like, why would one person see a cigarette and feel like, oh, I have to smoke and another person's like, I've never smoked a day in my life, I'm not interested at all. Because if it's just the cue that leads to the action, you would think they would do the same thing. Why would the same person respond differently to the same cue?

Like, why would one person see a cigarette and feel like, oh, I have to smoke and another person's like, I've never smoked a day in my life, I'm not interested at all. Because if it's just the cue that leads to the action, you would think they would do the same thing. Why would the same person respond differently to the same cue?

How come when I walk in my kitchen at 7 a.m., I see a loaf of bread and I think, oh, I'm going to make some toast for breakfast. But then I walk in at 4 p.m. and I see that same queue and I don't think anything of it. I just move on.

How come when I walk in my kitchen at 7 a.m., I see a loaf of bread and I think, oh, I'm going to make some toast for breakfast. But then I walk in at 4 p.m. and I see that same queue and I don't think anything of it. I just move on.

So to summarize all of this, I think one of the meaningful distinctions about the four stages that I put together and why I feel like it accurately describes human behavior is. and sort of the insight that I came across as I was researching. A neuroscientist named Lisa Feldman Barrett, she has a bunch of studies and a couple books on this topic.

So to summarize all of this, I think one of the meaningful distinctions about the four stages that I put together and why I feel like it accurately describes human behavior is. and sort of the insight that I came across as I was researching. A neuroscientist named Lisa Feldman Barrett, she has a bunch of studies and a couple books on this topic.

One book in particular that was useful for me while I was researching is called How Emotions Are Made. The key insight is that we often think that human behavior is reactive in the sense that somebody does something and I respond or somebody says something and I feel a certain way. But in fact, human behavior is mostly predictive.

One book in particular that was useful for me while I was researching is called How Emotions Are Made. The key insight is that we often think that human behavior is reactive in the sense that somebody does something and I respond or somebody says something and I feel a certain way. But in fact, human behavior is mostly predictive.

You are kind of endlessly going through your experience in life, predicting about what to do next. It's actually this prediction that I think was the key thing that was missing from a lot of the previous models of habits and behavior.

You are kind of endlessly going through your experience in life, predicting about what to do next. It's actually this prediction that I think was the key thing that was missing from a lot of the previous models of habits and behavior.

There's a bazillion studies on dopamine, of course. Also, I should say, like, I think if you only talk about dopamine, it's not the full story about habits. Like there's many neurochemicals that are involved in the process and dopamine is just one part of the overall picture. But it does play a very important role. For a long time, we thought it was about reward and satisfaction and enjoyment.

There's a bazillion studies on dopamine, of course. Also, I should say, like, I think if you only talk about dopamine, it's not the full story about habits. Like there's many neurochemicals that are involved in the process and dopamine is just one part of the overall picture. But it does play a very important role. For a long time, we thought it was about reward and satisfaction and enjoyment.

But in fact, it seems that the crucial role dopamine plays is about prediction and anticipation. And so the first time that you take a bite of a pancake, you don't know what to expect. And so you take that bite and then afterwards you get a surge of dopamine, almost as if to like mark the experience or to teach you, hey, that was favorable. You should do that again next time.

But in fact, it seems that the crucial role dopamine plays is about prediction and anticipation. And so the first time that you take a bite of a pancake, you don't know what to expect. And so you take that bite and then afterwards you get a surge of dopamine, almost as if to like mark the experience or to teach you, hey, that was favorable. You should do that again next time.

Like if you happen to see a pancake again, that was a really great outcome. So then the next time around, you know what to expect. And in fact, what we find is that dopamine tends to spike before you take a bite, not after. And there are a bunch of studies that show this. Gamblers get a spike before they roll the dice, not after.

Like if you happen to see a pancake again, that was a really great outcome. So then the next time around, you know what to expect. And in fact, what we find is that dopamine tends to spike before you take a bite, not after. And there are a bunch of studies that show this. Gamblers get a spike before they roll the dice, not after.

Drug addicts get a spike before they take a hit of cocaine, not after. Dopamine, I think probably the more accurate way to describe it in this context is is it's a teaching molecule. It's a learning molecule. And it helps you mark experiences that are favorable so that you'll remember them next time. And then when you come across a similar situation, it spikes in anticipation.