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Cue
The Golden Rule of habit change is to replace the old routine with a new one, while connecting it with the same cue and reward. For instance, Alcoholics Anonymous teaches people to identify the feelings that cue them to drink, then respond to them with a new routine instead—like going to a meeting or talking to a sponsor.
The Golden Rule of habit change Quotes in The Power of Habit
The The Power of Habit quotes below are all either spoken by The Golden Rule of habit change or refer to The Golden Rule of habit change. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 3 Quotes
His coaching strategy embodied an axiom, a Golden Rule of habit change that study after study has shown is among the most powerful tools for creating change. Dungy recognized that you can never truly extinguish bad habits.
Rather, to change a habit, you must keep the old cue, and deliver the old reward, but insert a new routine.
That’s the rule: If you use the same cue, and provide the same reward, you can shift the routine and change the habit. Almost any behavior can be transformed if the cue and reward stay the same.
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The legendary football coach Tony Dungy turned around two unsuccessful teams—the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Indianapolis Colts—by teaching his players to develop new habits. His approach was unprecedented and controversial in the high-stakes world of the NFL, but it was also remarkably successful. Duhigg argues that Dungy succeeded by applying the key principle he calls the Golden Rule of habit change: “keep the old cue, and deliver the old reward, but insert a new routine.” For instance, Dungy didn’t change the way his players looked at the opposing team’s formation before a play (the cue). Instead, he changed the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem acc
Notice how closely this study hews to the Golden Rule of habit change: Even when alcoholics’ brains were changed through surgery, it wasn’t enough. The old cues and cravings for rewards were still there, waiting to pounce. The alcoholics only permanently changed once they learned new routines that drew on the old triggers and provided a familiar relief.
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While cravings are often the decisive factor that makes habits stick, researchers have found that eliminating them often isn’t enough to eliminate bad habits. This is because powerful habit loops—like drinking, for alcoholics—often come to serve other purposes besides merely satisfying cravings. In the study Duhigg describes here, neuroscientists used brain implants to stop alcoholics from craving alcohol. But the alcoholics kept drinking because they didn’t have any other way to cope with stress. In other words, they didn’t crave alcohol’s chemical effects as much as the routine of drinking, which gave them a sense of relief. Even though a Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus
Often, we don’t really understand the cravings driving our behaviors until we look for them.
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In order to change their habits, Duhigg argues, people first need to understand those habits. In other words, they have to identify the cues, rewards, and routines that make up their habit loops. This process can be far more difficult and complex than it sounds, because people frequently misunderstand the real motives behind their habits. For instance, Duhigg notes that many smokers assume that they crave nicotine, when in reality they might crave the regular breaks or opportunities to socialize that smoking gives them. If they keep trying to replace nicotine cravings when they really crave breaks, they are bound Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperio
How do habits change?
There is, unfortunately, no specific set of steps guaranteed to work for every person. We know that a habit cannot be eradicated—it must, instead, be replaced. And we know that habits are most malleable when the Golden Rule of habit change is applied: If we keep the same cue and the same reward, a new routine can be inserted.
But that’s not enough. For a habit to stay changed, people must believe change is possible. And most often, that belief only emerges with the help of a group.
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At the end of his third chapter, Duhigg summarizes the three key ingredients that tend to make habit change successful. The first is to change habits through the Golden Rule—which means replacing undesirable routines with more desirable ones, while keeping cues and rewards the same. The second is believing in one’s capacity to change, which motivates people to keep trying when they encounter obstacles. And the third is to find a social support group, preferably of people who understand the bad habit one is trying to kick. Social support serves several important functions: groups make people accountable for maintaining new Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt.
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The Golden Rule of habit change Term Timeline in The Power of Habit
The timeline below shows where the term The Golden Rule of habit change appears in The Power of Habit. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3: The Golden Rule of Habit Change: Why Transformation Occurs
...have to change their habits in order to win. Specifically, he believes in the “ Golden Rule of habit change ,” which advocates for keeping the cue and reward the same while changing the routine....
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...research. Academics long criticized it, but now some believe that it succeeds by using the Golden Rule of habit change . It teaches people to understand the cues and rewards that drive them to drink...
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...changing habits, Duhigg concludes, this chapter has illustrated two key principles. The first is the Golden Rule : use the same cue and reward but change the routine. The second is that...
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