Inhibitory control hinders habit change
(2022) In Scientific Reports 12(1).- Abstract
Our habits constantly influence the environment, often in negative ways that amplify global environmental and health risks. Hence, change is urgent. To facilitate habit change, inhibiting unwanted behaviors appears to be a natural human reaction. Here, we use a novel experimental design to test how inhibitory control affects two key components of changing (rewiring) habit-like behaviors in healthy humans: the acquisition of new habit-like behavior and the simultaneous unlearning of an old one. We found that, while the new behavior was acquired, the old behavior persisted and coexisted with the new. Critically, inhibition hindered both overcoming the old behavior and establishing the new one. Our findings highlight that suppressing... (More)
Our habits constantly influence the environment, often in negative ways that amplify global environmental and health risks. Hence, change is urgent. To facilitate habit change, inhibiting unwanted behaviors appears to be a natural human reaction. Here, we use a novel experimental design to test how inhibitory control affects two key components of changing (rewiring) habit-like behaviors in healthy humans: the acquisition of new habit-like behavior and the simultaneous unlearning of an old one. We found that, while the new behavior was acquired, the old behavior persisted and coexisted with the new. Critically, inhibition hindered both overcoming the old behavior and establishing the new one. Our findings highlight that suppressing unwanted behaviors is not only ineffective but may even further strengthen them. Meanwhile, actively engaging in a preferred behavior appears indispensable for its successful acquisition. Our design could be used to uncover how new approaches affect the cognitive basis of changing habit-like behaviors.
(Less)
- author
- Horváth, Kata LU ; Nemeth, Dezso and Janacsek, Karolina
- organization
- publishing date
- 2022-12
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Scientific Reports
- volume
- 12
- issue
- 1
- article number
- 8338
- publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:35585209
- scopus:85130234812
- ISSN
- 2045-2322
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41598-022-11971-6
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- d0c9939c-0bd9-4186-b01d-c848c4010b64
- date added to LUP
- 2022-12-29 11:36:47
- date last changed
- 2024-09-20 07:46:07
@article{d0c9939c-0bd9-4186-b01d-c848c4010b64,
abstract = {{<p>Our habits constantly influence the environment, often in negative ways that amplify global environmental and health risks. Hence, change is urgent. To facilitate habit change, inhibiting unwanted behaviors appears to be a natural human reaction. Here, we use a novel experimental design to test how inhibitory control affects two key components of changing (rewiring) habit-like behaviors in healthy humans: the acquisition of new habit-like behavior and the simultaneous unlearning of an old one. We found that, while the new behavior was acquired, the old behavior persisted and coexisted with the new. Critically, inhibition hindered both overcoming the old behavior and establishing the new one. Our findings highlight that suppressing unwanted behaviors is not only ineffective but may even further strengthen them. Meanwhile, actively engaging in a preferred behavior appears indispensable for its successful acquisition. Our design could be used to uncover how new approaches affect the cognitive basis of changing habit-like behaviors.</p>}},
author = {{Horváth, Kata and Nemeth, Dezso and Janacsek, Karolina}},
issn = {{2045-2322}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
publisher = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
series = {{Scientific Reports}},
title = {{Inhibitory control hinders habit change}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-11971-6}},
doi = {{10.1038/s41598-022-11971-6}},
volume = {{12}},
year = {{2022}},
}