2 min. 15 sec. read
To create new habit, you need three things. A cue, a routine, and a reward.
“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)
“Over time, this loop—cue, routine, reward; cue, routine, reward—becomes more and more automatic. The cue and reward become intertwined until a powerful sense of anticipation and craving emerges.” (p. 19) Eventually this becomes a habit.
Example of a Cue:
Let’s say you want to make running a habit. Put workout clothes next to your bed before you sleep. When you wake up, the clothes are a cue for you to start running.
Example of a Cue which starts a bad habit:
Let’s say your phone gives a beep sound whenever you get a new email. This beep is the cue. Whenever you hear this beep, you want check your email, even though you know the email might not be important.
Examples of Rewards-
If you want to make running a habit, you need to give yourself a clear reward. You could give yourself chocolate or a smoothie as a reward. You could reward yourself with a tv program. For some people, the reward is the pride they feel when they document how many miles they ran. For some people the reward is the endorphin rush.
Other Examples:
1, In the early 1900’s only 7% of Americans brushed their teeth. After Pepsodent toothpaste was invented, more than half of Americans brushed their teeth.
Why?
Pepsodent made brushing teeth a habit. They had a cue, a routine, and a reward, that started the habit loop.
The Cue- Film on teeth.
The Routine- Brushing your teeth.
The Reward- Minty tingling sensation.
Pepsodent had something other toothpastes didn’t have. Their toothpaste gave people a minty tingling sensation in their mouth. This minty tingling sensation is the reward. It created a craving because people began to associate that minty feeling with cleanliness. If they didn’t have this minty feeling in their mouth, they didn’t feel their mouth was clean. It drove the habit loop.
“He was selling a sensation. Once people craved that cool tingling—once they equated it with cleanliness—brushing became a habit.”(p. 56)
2. Proctor and Gamble discovered a chemical that could get rid of bad odors. P and G was very excited to launch Febreeze that could get rid of bad odors such as pet and smoking odors.
Their launch failed. Not many people bought Febreeze. Why?
It was targeted to people with wanted to get rid of bad odors. The problem is most people with bad odors don’t even notice they have bad odors! So they never feel the need to buy Febreeze.
P and G decided to change their strategy. They added a pleasant smell to Febreeze and targeted people who took pride in cleaning their homes regularly. They wanted to make Febreeze a part of people’s cleaning habit.
The Cue- When someone cleans their room.
The routine- Spraying the room as the final touch when cleaning a room.
The Reward- The nice smell.
The Craving- The room doesn’t “feel” like it’s clean unless it has the Febreeze smell.
Customers who took pride in cleaning their bedroom, would finish off their cleaning routine with a spray of Febreeze. The smell of Febreeze became the reward. Now the customer has become addicted to the Febreeze smell. If their room didn’t have the febreeze smell, they don’t feel their room is clean. It has become a habit.
“countless studies have shown that a cue and a reward, on their own, aren’t enough for a new habit to last. Only when your brain starts expecting the reward—craving the endorphins or sense of accomplishment—will it become automatic to lace up your jogging shoes each morning. The cue, in addition to triggering a routine, must also trigger a craving for the reward to come.” (p. 51)