Most human behaviour is driven by 'autopilot', not choice

Do you struggle to keep up with an exercise routine or catch yourself grabbing an unhealthy snack even when you’ve promised to eat better? Chances are, you’ve been told to “try harder” or blamed for not really “wanting” to change.

But guess what? Trying hard won’t work, and it's not really about your willpower. A new study led by researchers at the University of Surrey, University of South Carolina, and Central Queensland University has shown that most of our behaviour is dictated by ‘autopilot’ and not choice. Trying harder alone won’t help you break out of a bad habit. The study's findings are published in Psychology & Health.

Your habits matter more than your choice

The new study found that habit, not conscious choice, drives most of our actions.

The researchers found that two-thirds of our daily behaviours are initiated ‘on autopilot’, out of habit. The study emphasizes how habit plays a key role in human behaviour. What are habits? Habits are actions that we are automatically prompted to do when we encounter everyday settings, due to associations that we have learned between those settings and our usual responses to them, according to the researchers. The study showed that 46% of behaviours were both triggered by habit and aligned with conscious intentions.

This means people form habits that support their personal goals, and often disrupt habits that conflict with them.

The study

Though previous research has attempted to estimate the prevalence of habits in our day-to-day lives, this new study applied a novel method to track them in real time. The team of international researchers surveyed 105 participants from the UK and Australia. Six random prompts were sent to their phones each day for a week, asking them to describe what they were currently doing, and whether it was triggered out of habit or done intentionally.

The researchers found that 65% of daily behaviours were habitually initiated, which means people were prompted to do them out of routine, rather than making a conscious decision. “Our research shows that while people may consciously want to do something, the actual initiation and performance of that behaviour is often done without thinking, driven by non-conscious habits. This suggests that “good” habits may be a powerful way to make our goals a reality,” Professor Benjamin Gardner, Professor in Psychology at the University of Surrey and co-author of the study, said in a statement.“For people who want to break their bad habits, simply telling them to 'try harder' isn't enough. To create lasting change, we must incorporate strategies to help people recognise and disrupt their unwanted habits, and ideally form positive new ones in their place," he added.

How can you apply these findings to improve your health and wellness?

The findings of this new study have broader implications for public health and wellness interventions. According to the researchers, it could be designed to help people adopt new behaviours (positive habits) such as exercising or eating healthier. For instance, if you are trying to get healthier and add exercise to your routine, consistency is important. But how do you achieve that? Trying hard is not enough. You need a strategy. You should identify an everyday situation in which exercise can realistically be done. Simple steps like setting aside a certain time of the day, or following a regular event, like after your work, and consistently doing some exercise will help.Similarly, to break a bad habit, for instance smoking, simply the desire to quit may not alone help. The most effective strategies would involve disrupting triggers (e.g., avoiding places where they used to smoke) and creating new routines (e.g., chewing gum after a meal instead of having a cigarette). “People like to think of themselves as rational decision makers, who think carefully about what to do before they do it.

However, much of our repetitive behavior is undertaken with minimal forethought and is instead generated automatically, by habit,” Dr Amanda Rebar, Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina and lead author of the study, said.The researchers hope to help people develop healthier lifestyles with the new insights from the study.

“Our study shows that two-thirds of what people do each day is sparked by habit, and most of the time those habits are also aligned with our intentions. This means that if we set out to create a positive habit, whether that’s around better sleep hygiene, or nutrition, or general wellbeing improvements, we can rely on an internal “autopilot” to take over and help us maintain those habits,” Dr Grace Vincent, Sleep Scientist and Associate Professor at Central Queensland University and co-author of the study, said.

“Unfortunately, not all habits are created equal. Exercise was the exception in our findings, as it was often triggered by habit, but less likely to be achieved purely “on autopilot”, compared to other behaviours,” Dr Vincent added.

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