Why deep change is hard (and what this course adds)
An old habit is like a path worn into the grass. Even after you start walking a new way, the old path is still there, and your feet drift back to it. In this course you learn to plan for the drift, change the ground itself, and decide what kind of walker you are.
- Before this course: Habit Systems: design, track and review (course 9.1.2). You should already know anchors and stacks, if-then and obstacle plans, tracking "days done out of days planned", automaticity scores and the monthly review. We build on those and do not repeat them.
- Course 9.1.2 was mostly about building habits. This course is about deep change: breaking old habits, getting back on track after setbacks, and making change last.
- Old habits are hard to remove. Quinn, Pascoe, Wood and Neal (2010) describe the memory trace of a habit as slow to change. The cue can still trigger the old response long after you decide to stop.
- This course uses three levers:
| Lever | Main question | Lessons |
|---|---|---|
| Setbacks | What do I do when I slip? | 2, 3, 7 |
| Environment | What in my surroundings triggers the old habit? | 4, 5 |
| Identity and values | Why does this habit matter to who I want to be? | 6 |
- Honest numbers card for this course (add it to your card from 9.1.2):
| Study | What it found | Honest limit |
|---|---|---|
| Larimer, Palmer and Marlatt (1999), review of the relapse prevention model | A lapse does not have to become a relapse; how you explain the slip matters | Built on alcohol and drug research; we borrow the ideas for everyday habits |
| Quinn and colleagues (2010), two diary studies and one experiment | For strong bad habits, "vigilant monitoring" (watching for slip-ups, thinking "don't do it") worked best of the strategies people used | Small samples of university students |
| Verplanken and Roy (2016), field experiment, 800 participants | A sustainability intervention worked better for people who had recently moved home; the window was about three months | Behaviours were self-reported |
| Mertens and colleagues (2022), over 200 studies | Changing choice environments ("nudges") had a small-to-medium average effect (d = 0.45) | A reanalysis (Maier and colleagues, 2022) found no evidence for an overall effect after correcting for publication bias |
| Bryan and colleagues (2011) vs Gerber and colleagues (2016) | "Be a voter" wording raised turnout in small studies, but a large field replication found no difference | Exciting small results do not always replicate |
| Breines and Chen (2012), four experiments | Self-compassion after a failure increased motivation to improve | Short experiments; long-term habit change was not tested |
- Reminder from 9.1.2: "d" is an effect size (about 0.2 small, 0.5 medium, 0.8 large). It is not a percent chance of success.
- Write "Before this course: Habit Systems (9.1.2)" at the top of a new page.
- Write one habit you want to build and one habit you want to break.
- For the habit to break, write its usual cue: where, when, who with, and what you feel just before it.
- Copy the honest numbers table above into your notebook in your own words.
- Next to each row, write the lesson number where you will use it.
- Check: you have one habit to build, one to break, a cue for the one to break, and you can say why "slow to change" means you must plan for slips.
Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.
Read the video script
[Host] "You stopped the habit for two weeks. Then one evening it came right back. Why?"
[Screen: a worn path in the grass, a new path beside it] "Because old habits leave a path in memory, and the cue can still pull you back."
[Text on screen: setbacks, environment, identity] "This course works on three levers: how you handle setbacks, what surrounds you, and who you are becoming."
[Text on screen: small samples, failed replications] "And we keep the science honest: some exciting findings did not replicate."
[Host] "Deep change is not a straight line. Let's plan for the bends."
Write your "build one, break one" page and the honest numbers card. Keep both with your tracker from course 9.1.2.
ClaudeStuck? Copy a ready-made prompt for Claude
Copy this, open Claude, paste it, and Claude will walk you through the lesson step by step.
For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.
I'm learning "Deep Habit Change: relapse, identity and environment" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "Why deep change is hard (and what this course adds)". What the lesson teaches: - Before this course: Habit Systems: design, track and review (course 9.1.2). You should already know anchors and stacks, if-then and obstacle plans, tracking "days done out of days planned", automaticity scores and the monthly review. We build on those and do not repeat them. - Course 9.1.2 was mostly about building habits. This course is about deep change: breaking old habits, getting back on track after setbacks, and making change last. - Old habits are hard to remove. Quinn, Pascoe, Wood and Neal (2010) describe the memory trace of a habit as slow to change. The cue can still trigger the old response long after you decide to stop. - This course uses three levers: - Lever - Main question - Lessons - Setbacks - What do I do when I slip? - 2, 3, 7 - Environment - What in my surroundings triggers the old habit? - 4, 5 The exercise I'm working on: Write your "build one, break one" page and the honest numbers card. Keep both with your tracker from course 9.1.2. I'm stuck. Please: 1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example. 2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step. 3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.
I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "Why deep change is hard (and what this course adds)" from the course "Deep Habit Change: relapse, identity and environment". Here's what the lesson says: An old habit is like a path worn into the grass. Even after you start walking a new way, the old path is still there, and your feet drift back to it. In this course you learn to plan for the drift, change the ground itself, and decide what kind of walker you are. The activity: Write your "build one, break one" page and the honest numbers card. Keep both with your tracker from course 9.1.2. Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words. Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.
Sources
- Quinn, Pascoe, Wood & Neal (2010), Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin: doi.org/10.1177/0146167209360665
- Larimer, Palmer & Marlatt (1999), Alcohol Research & Health: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6760427/
- Verplanken & Roy (2016), Journal of Environmental Psychology: doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.11.008
- Mertens et al. (2022), PNAS: doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2107346118
- Maier et al. (2022), PNAS: doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2200300119
- Gerber et al. (2016), PNAS: doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1513727113
- Breines & Chen (2012), Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin: doi.org/10.1177/0146167212445599
A lapse is not a relapse
This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.
Map your high-risk situations
This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.
Breaking an old habit is a different job
This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.
Redesign your environment (and use life changes)
This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.
Identity-level habits (without the hype)
This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.
Self-compassion, honest limits and your relapse-ready plan
This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.
Final project
This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.
Quiz
What is the difference between a lapse and a relapse?
A lapse is a single slip; a relapse is a full return to the old pattern.
Does a lapse have to become a relapse?
No. The relapse prevention review says the step is not inevitable.
What is the abstinence violation effect?
The guilt and bad feeling after a slip that, when blamed on a lasting personal weakness, makes giving up more likely.
Which explanation of a slip makes restarting easier?
A specific one about the situation you can plan for, not "I'm hopeless."
Name three types of high-risk situations.
For example negative emotions, conflict with others, social pressure, positive emotions, cues, or testing yourself.
In the Quinn (2010) diary studies, what worked best for strong bad habits?
Vigilant monitoring: watching for slip-ups and thinking "don't do it."
Why can an old habit come back after weeks of control?
Its memory trace is slow to change, so the cue can still trigger it.
What happened to the nudging meta-analysis result after correcting for publication bias?
A reanalysis found no evidence for an overall effect, so environment changes should be tested, not trusted blindly.
What is the habit discontinuity hypothesis?
Behaviour change is easier when a life change (like moving home) disrupts old habits; one study found a window of about three months.
What happened when the "be a voter" study was repeated at large scale?
The large replication found no significant difference between noun and verb wording.
What did Breines and Chen (2012) find about self-compassion after failure?
It increased motivation to improve (for example, people studied longer after failing a test).
When should a habit plan include professional help?
When the habit involves alcohol, drugs, gambling, eating problems, self-harm or low mood; in danger, call your local emergency number.
Final exam
This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.
Certificate
This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.