Break Your Bad Habits

By: Heather Loeb

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A friend offers you a smoke while you're tailgating at the game. You have one every now and then, and you're not hooked, so sure, thanks. Besides, it does look good with your drink.

This, my friend, is your brain battling a bad habit—and losing. As we continually perform a behavior—smoking socially, say, or texting while driving—neural pathways in our brains form new patterns, according to a recent MIT review. Once the prompt arrives, your brain shifts into autopilot.

"Situational cues bring out habits that are deeply embedded," says Ellen Peters, Ph.D., who studies risk perceptions at Decision Research, a psychological research firm in Eugene, Oregon. "When that habit surfaces, it's hard not to let it overcome you." The problem, of course, is that these proclivities can endanger your health. So follow our guide to rid yourself, once and for all, of a few distinctly unhealthy habits.
