Humans are creatures of habit. A habit is defined as “a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up”. Synonyms include practice, custom, pattern, routine, style, convention, policy, etc.
How are habits formed?
According to Psychology Today, “habit formation is the process by which behaviors become automatic.” It goes on to say that habits can form in two ways:
- without the person intending to acquire them. i.e subconsciously
- deliberately cultivated - or eliminated - to suit one’s personal goals
The article wonders if one reason why humans are creatures of habit is that habits are efficient. Useful behaviors can be performed without wasting time and energy deliberating on what to do. Time and energy are the most valuable limited resources we have in our lives.
However,
This tendency toward quick-and-efficient responses can backfire, however—as when it gets hijacked by the use of addictive drugs or consumption of unhealthy food.
Judging the useful of a behavior, however much time it took to deliberate and execute the behavior, is a complicated topic. This is because, according to Sam Oven’s video Long-Term Thinking, 2nd Order Consequences & Effect Horizons, humans are terrible are factoring in time into the equation of decision making utility. Humans are largely incapable of understanding 2nd, 3rd, or higher order consequences of decisions made in the present moment. This is not necessarily because we don’t have the knowledge about what these consequences might be. It is more likely because we haven’t trained this 3rd eye of sorts to look just one step further.
The name of the game is delayed gratification.