reviewHealth Psychology ReviewOct 14, 2011Closed access

Promoting habit formation

PLPhillippa LallyBGBenjamin Gardner

University College London

Indexed incrossref

Abstract

Habits are automatic behavioural responses to environmental cues, thought to develop through repetition of behaviour in consistent contexts. When habit is strong, deliberate intentions have been shown to have a reduced influence on behaviour. The habit concept may provide a mechanism for establishing new behaviours, and so healthy habit formation is a desired outcome for many interventions. Habits also however represent a potential challenge for changing ingrained unhealthy behaviours, which may be resistant to motivational shifts. This review aims to provide intervention developers with tools to help establish target behaviours as habits, based on theoretical and empirical insights. We discuss evidence-based…

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877
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2

Topics & keywords

Topics
Keywords
  • Habit
  • Automaticity
  • Situational ethics
  • Psychology
  • Context (archaeology)
  • Psychological intervention
  • Intervention (counseling)
  • Behavior change
UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Life in Land
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