The Power of Persistence in Forming New Habits

Persistent practice is the best way to form and maintain new habits.

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January first is known as a time of new beginnings. A common topic is one’s new year’s resolutions. Unfortunately, choicesmost new year’s resolutions drop by the wayside before February begins.

Why is it so hard for us to break bad habits or form new habits? Why are we so prone to gravitate back to the old and familiar? What can we do to increase the likelihood of creating a new, better, or healthier habit?

One NASA experiment provides some insight. In the early days of NASA, researchers wanted to see how astronauts would respond to the disorienting conditions of space. They created sets of convex goggles, which flipped everything in their field of vision 180 degrees. In other words, their seemed to be turned upside down. They made the astronauts wear these goggles 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, even when they slept.

As expected, the astronauts did become disoriented at first and displayed symptoms of stress, such as elevated blood pressure, respiration and other vital signs. Gradually, however, they began to adapt to their altered vision and were able to negotiate most tasks fairly well.

Then something amazing happened. Somewhere between day 26 and day 30, the astronaut’s brain flipped the image back right-side-up. Even though they were still wearing the goggles, and the image hitting their eyes was still flipped, they began to see the world the right way.

The researchers discovered that after 26 to 30 days of continuous input, the astronaut’s brains formed new neural pathways, causing them to see their worlds normally again.

NASA then did a second study. They had half the astronauts wear the “flipped” goggles for 30 days, as before, and as before, their brains corrected the image after 26 to 30 days. NASA had a second group wear the goggles, but after 15 days, they told them to take them off for 24 hours. This group’s brains didn’t correct the image for an additional 26 to 30 days. Taking the goggles off for 24 hours reset the brain back to day one.

The researchers discovered that it takes the brain requires approximately 30 days to form new neural pathways – for new habits to form. So, to form new habits, we need to consciously and deliberately maintain the new behavior for at least thirty days. If we do a new behavior, and then revert back to our old behavior periodically, we start the clock all over again. The new, desired behavior never becomes engrained, new neural connections are never made, and we break all those resolutions.

Make a commitment to alter your behavior for at least 30 days. Try to avoid any “days off” and see what happens.

 

Comment: Please share your experiences in trying to form new habits. What worked for you?

I'm a psychologist, who helps people who have sustained self-esteem wounds from past negative experiences, overcome those wounds and experience a more positive self-worth, so they can live more joyful and satisfying lives.

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One thought on “The Power of Persistence in Forming New Habits”

  1. “Persistence does pay” is not a myth! And, many have discovered that sticking with a discipline, thought process or decision empowers us.
    Recently I read a story about a woman who climbed Everest nearly to the top. Her team was stopped, however, before they could summit due to bad weather.
    She was defeated in her goal, and returned to the USA thinking she would never realize her goal to summit Everest.
    Seven years passed and she was invited to join the team for a second attempt to summit Everest. She reported that she was surprised to find herself saying “yes” to the invitation.
    The story reveals that there is such a phenomena called Post Traumatic Stress Growth.
    There’s hope for those of us who have been disappointed!

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