2021

Hagger, Martin S.; Rebar, Amanda L.

Researchers and practitioners in health contexts are interested in breaking “bad” habits and promoting health‐promoting habits. Habits are impulse‐driven behavioral responses that occur beyond an individual's awareness. Dual‐process theories of health behavior conceptualize habit as part of an “impulsive” pathway to action in which behavior is a function of responses to cues and prompts learned and reinforced over time, contrasted with a “reflective” pathway in which behavior is enacted after deliberative evaluation of its merits and consequences. Strong relations between cues and action make “bad” habits difficult to break but also present an opportunity to promote sustained behavior change if healthy habits can be developed. Research suggests that breaking unhealthy habits requires high motivation and effective self‐regulatory skills so that individuals can override strong cue‐dependent responses. Testing the efficacy of intervention strategies to break “bad” habits and promote healthy habits is an important avenue for future research.