The Science of Habit Formation: Applications for Personal and Public Health

Megan Lipsett, MA, PhD student

Training Description

We typically spend an alarming 43 percent of our day engaged in thoughts and behaviors without being aware of them (Killingsworth & Gilbert, 2010) - and this automaticity (aka “habits”) plays a critical role in health-relevant behaviors and psychological well-being, including addictive behaviors. This training will explore what habits are, why we have them, evidence-based approaches changing them, and how they impact health and well-being for foster and system-involved youth. Participants will learn about the psychological and neurological mechanisms that drive habits. Habit formation frameworks will be reviewed, including the key stages of habit formation: goal identification, habit initiation, habit repetition, and habit maintenance. We will expand this conversation to “habits of mind” (e.g. rumination or mindful awareness) and discuss how mindsets common in foster and system-involved youth shape psychological well-being outcomes. We will talk about barriers and supports (e.g. regulatory flexibility, stress…