breaking habits
7 min. read
Not all learned behaviours are habits, but all habits are learned behaviours.
So what's the difference and why does it matter?
Learned behaviours are any actions we acquire through experience. This includes everything from eating, talking, walking, to riding a bike or flying a plane.
Habits are a subset of learned behaviours. In essence they are forms of conditioning, meaning that we do them because we have repeated doing them over time and because we have tended to get the same results we tend to keep repeating them. They are dependent on cues, rewards, and context. Once formed, they are triggered reflexively by things in our environment or internal cues within us.
They are automatic behaviours.
This can be true of some learned behaviours too, but not exclusively.
learned behaviours
Learned behaviours are the result of experience and are generally more conscious and deliberate. We see the value of certain behaviours as a result of what we observe, how we reflect, and how we choose to act as a result.
Some learned behaviours become habituated. We do them without needing to think. As far as our psyche is concerned, habituating behaviours is a great way of freeing up energy to be able to focus on the present moment and all of the potential threats and opportunities that live there.
It's trying to be efficient.
One of the issues we face in life is that we can pick up habits unconsciously, especially if we're not paying attention. They can slip in through the gaps. And once theyā€™re in, they can run the show, quietly shaping how we feel, what we reach for, and how we respond, without once ever seeking our permission or approval.
So how do we root out unwanted habits and learned behaviours?
