The psychology of habits and their formation have long been the object of attention of many researchers. However, some ideas and statements about the length of time it takes to establish a new habit may be wrong. One such popular concept is the 21 day rule. According to this thesis, it only takes 21 days of daily practice to develop a new habit. However, scientific research and practical experience show that this rule does not always work.
Scientific American reports this.
Psycho-cyberneticist Max Will made a significant contribution to the popularization of the 21-day rule. He claimed that it usually takes his clients about three weeks to get used to their new look after plastic surgery. However, Ville did not conduct special experiments to confirm this statement.
The reality is that each person is different, and the time it takes to form a new habit can vary significantly. A 2009 study by scientists completely disproved the 21-day rule. Participants reported that on average it took about 66 days to form a habit, with periods ranging from 18 to 254 days.
An important factor in forming habits is automating the process and repeating it. The more regularly and systematically a certain action is performed, the faster it becomes habitual. In addition, the nature of the action itself has an influence: performing simple and enjoyable actions can lead to rapid habit formation, while performing difficult and time-consuming actions may require more time and effort.
In order to successfully form a healthy habit, you need to follow several recommendations. First, it is important to track your progress and reward yourself for your achievements. The reward must be immediate and pleasant so that the brain can associate it with performing the desired action. Secondly, it is useful to create associations between a new habit and existing familiar activities or places. This will help reinforce the new habit and make it more sustainable.
Thus, habit formation is an individual and multifactorial process, and you cannot always count on the fact that a new habit will be established in 21 days. However, understanding the basic principles and factors that influence this process can help you achieve your desired results and reinforce new habits in your daily life.
Previously, “Cursor” wrote about what habits are harmful to our well-being.
