Why are habits so hard to break, even for a moment?

davejay — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 17:32:27 -0800

It's one thing to stop smoking, or stop biting your nails, or stop drinking, altogether -- what I want to know is, why is it sometimes so difficult to stop doing a habitual activity even for a few moments, while trying really hard? Today, another person asked MeFi a question about blowing on food to cool it; that reminded me of a day many years ago, when I was eating gazpacho at a restaurant. No matter how much I tried not to, no matter how hard I fought against it, I couldn't keep myself from blowing on the spoonful of (cold) soup before putting it in my mouth. I failed to resist the temptation three spoonfuls out of every four.

Similarly, someone I know has an annoying physical habit they do when bored; however, if you call their attention to it, they still can't resist doing it. It's not a tick, or a tremor, or something involuntary -- it's a deliberate physical activity they can't resist the temptation to do, like scratching an itch.

Does anyone actually know why these habits are so hard to break, even for a moment, when you're consciously aware you're doing it and actively trying to stop?

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Why are habits so hard to break, even for a moment?

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