Want to Form a New Habit? Don't Overthink

To pick up a new habit, try not to think about it too hard.

New findings suggest that deliberately planning to learn a task makes it less likely that the new activity will become automatic. The reason, said study researcher Jennifer Labrecque, a psychologist at the University of Southern California, is that habits are encoded in the brain by the procedural memory system, which doesn't involve much conscious input. Planning and deliberation are handled by the declarative memory system, which catalogues facts and events.

"When you try to engage two memory systems at once, they just interfere with each other," said Labrecque, who presented her findings in January at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology in San Diego.

The results have implications for people who are trying to learn new habits, Labrecque said. While it's important to plan ahead when trying to learn a new behavior, it's best to set up your plans so that you don't have to think too hard in the moment, she said. [9 Healthy Habits You Can Do in 1 Minute (Or Less)]. [More]