The Psychology of Habits
Do habits really take 66 days to form? Should you rely on willpower? How does a psychologist approach overcoming their own bad habits and starting good ones?
Professor Ben Gardner leads us through the intricate world of habits, exploring their definitions, the distinction between habits and routines, and the psychological mechanisms behind habitual behaviour.
Professor Gardner shares insights from his extensive research, highlighting the importance of instigation habits that trigger actions and the role of willpower in habit formation and the need for a nuanced understanding of habits to effectively implement behaviour change in daily life.
Find out more about Ben's work at: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/people/benjamin-gardner
You can watch the video of this episode on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@EverythingsPsychology
Everything's Psychology
Chatting with incredible minds about the psychology of our everyday world.
Join Paul Davies, behavioural psychologist, as chats with guests about the mechanisms of human behaviour and the motivations behind people’s actions.
- No. of episodes: 8
- Latest episode: 2025-07-08
- Science Social Sciences
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