3 min. read
Eugene’s remarkable story shows how powerful habits can be.
Eugene had a rare disease which destroyed parts of his brain. After recovering from the disease, he could not form new memories. For example, if you told him your name, 2 minutes later he couldn’t remember what your name is or who you are.
Even though he couldn’t form new memories, he could magically learn to do new things. How did he learn to do new things if he couldn’t remember anything? He learned to do new things by creating habits!
Examples:
1, Eugene and his wife moved to a new house. Eugene was not allowed to walk out of the house be himself. His wife worried if he walked outside by himself, he wouldn’t know how to get back home and get lost. Eugene could not remember the address of his house, or the location.
One day, Eugene’s wife accidentally left Eugene alone, and he walked outside the house. Eugene’s wife was frantic and searched all over the neighborhood to find him. After 15 minutes she gave up and went back home. When she got home, she was shocked to see Eugene siting in the living room! How did you Eugene find his way back home when he couldn’t even remember where his house is?
It all has to do with habits. Since Eugene and his wife took the same walking route every day, he formed a habit. This habit guided him back home. Eugene did not have to use memories or mental thoughts to walk back home.
2. A doctor asked Eugene to sketch a rough layout of his house. Eugene tried to sketch a layout, but he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t remember where any rooms of his house are located. The amazing thing is, when Eugene needed to go to the bathroom, he walked straight to the bathroom and used the toilet!
3. The doctor asked Eugene, “where is the kitchen?” Eugene said he didn’t know. He couldn’t remember. The amazing thing is, when Eugene was hungry, he walked straight to the kitchen, opened a cabinet, and ate some nuts!
Eugene could do all these things because he developed habits. Habits don’t rely on memories or thinking. Habits are formed in a different part of the brain. Habits are formed in the Basal Ganglia which is located near the center of the skull.
4. Scientists wanted to see if rats could form habits in their Basal Ganglia. They put sensors on a rat’s brain so they could monitor the brain’s activity.
The scientists created a very simple T maze, and placed chocolate at the end of the maze.
At first it took a long time for the rat to find the chocolate. The rat scratched and sniffed and sometimes moved to the wrong direction. Eventually the rat found the chocolate. Sensors showed the rat used a lot of brain power.
The rat went through the maze many times each day. Each time the rat went through the maze, he reached the chocolate faster and faster. As he reached the chocolate faster and faster, the sensors showed the rat was using less and less brain power.
By the end of the week, the rat could sprint right to the chocolate. Sensors showed the rat used almost no brain power! The rat didn’t have to use any mental effort. He formed a habit in his Basal Ganglia!
5. “Habits, scientists say, emerge because the brain is constantly looking for ways to save effort. Left to its own devices, the brain will try to make almost any routine into a habit, because habits allow our minds to ramp down more often. This effort-saving instinct is a huge advantage.” (p. 17)
“This process within our brains is a three-step loop. First, there is a cue, a trigger that tells your brain to go into automatic mode and which habit to use. Then there is the routine, which can be physical or mental or emotional. Finally, there is a reward, which helps your brain figure out if this particular loop is worth remembering for the future:” (p. 19)
“habits can be ignored, changed, or replaced. But the reason the discovery of the habit loop is so important is that it reveals a basic truth: When a habit emerges, the brain stops fully participating in decision making. It stops working so hard, or diverts focus to other tasks. So unless you deliberately fight a habit—unless you find new routines—the pattern will unfold automatically.” (p. 20)