Maggie Beckman

Annotated Bibliography

Burrell, T. (2017). Force of habit. New Scientist, 84-88. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.

com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aqh&AN=123618569&site=ehost-live

Written by Teal Burrell, this article describes what habits are and how they function.
Burrell explains how habits are indicated by changes brain cell activity in a certain region
of the brain called the striatum, which is important for movement, mood and reward. The
author also includes the impact of the infralimbic cortex, and how it may be a major
contributor to habitual behavior. Evidence from several studies under numerous
researchers is used to support Burrell’s claims, which is helpful because it provides a
basis for further research pertaining to these specific projects. Burrell also distinguishes
between goal-directed behavior and habitual behavior. Understanding the difference
between the two concepts is essential to understanding habits, making this resource even
more valuable. Furthermore, Burrell introduces the idea of willpower in breaking habits,
and how it can both empower and deplete the ability to do so. Importantly, the author
cites Gretchen Rubin’s assertion that gaining self-knowledge and insight to one’s
personality is the first step to breaking a habit, as doing so allows individuals to better see
the context in which they are affected the most. Context is another key to habits that
Burrell harps on, insisting that it is crucial to the continuance of habits--repetitive context
breeds repetitive behavior. Essentially, this resource gives valuable insight to the nature
of habits pertaining to the brain, which is very important information to understand
before seeking methods of breaking and making habits.

Fogg, B. (2009). A behavior model for persuasive design. Persuasive ’09: Proceedings of the 4th

International Conference on Persuasive Technology, 1, (1-7). Doi: 10.1145/1541948

.1541999

In this paper, BJ Fogg introduces the Fogg Behavior Model (FBM), which is for
understanding human behavior. Essentially, the model asserts that behavior is a
combination of three factors: motivation, ability, and triggers. Without one of the three
components, behavior will fail to occur. It is important to include that ability and
motivation can be interchanged at times. Fogg provides a diagram to help explain his
theory, which is useful because it conveys the relationship between the three factors that
enable behavior. According to the table, a target behavior requires sufficient motivation,
 sufficient ability, and an effective trigger in order to be performed. As motivation
decreases, the effectiveness of the trigger decreases, and the ability becomes less
relevant. Conversely, as motivation increases, triggers become more effective, and ability
to perform the action becomes more important. The diagram as well as Fogg’s
explanation are highly valuable, as they demonstrate the components of behaviors, which
relates to the formation and elimination of habits.

Hutchins, A. (2015). The secret to happiness? Maclean’s, 128(9), 48. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aqh&AN=101294951&site=ehos

t-live

This resource discusses the link between habits and happiness, and how habits can be
manipulated to be more beneficial. The author discusses the perspectives several
researchers, including Gretchen Rubin and BJ Fogg, who are experts in the fields of
habits and human behavior. Both Rubin and Fogg believe in using habits to make
positive changes. Hutchins emphasizes the importance of recognizing both the trigger and
the reward in relation to a habit when seeking to change it, an idea he credits to the author
of The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg. Essentially, in order to change a habit, it’s
necessary to look beyond the behavior itself and identify the cue that triggers the act.
Hutchins also provides useful personal anecdotes of the researchers and analogies about
habits, as well as results from studies, to back up his assertions. Ultimately, this article
details information and ideas that is extremely important to my topic and shares
numerous sources and ideas that will aid the direction of my research in the future.

James, S. (2013). Charles Duhigg: The power of habit: Why we do what we do in life and

business. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 22(4), 582. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826

-012-9645-6

S.E. James’ book review of Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We
Do in Life and Business provides a summary of each chapter in the book, and includes
specific examples used by the author to convey the nature and impact of both good and
bad habits. The conclusions James draws from the examples and the key terms discussed
in the review are what make this a great reference. The author expands on topics from the
book such as the level of consciousness of the brain while performing habits and the
concept of keystone habits, inserting his own examples and fresh insights along the way.
A very interesting topic of discussion in the review is the philosophy of former
 professional football coach Tony Dungy, and how he incorporated habit development
into creating a Super Bowl winning team. Ultimately, James’ analysis of Duhigg’s
theories on and approaches to habits provides several new directions in which habits can
effectively enhance productivity, success, and life as a whole.

Klose, S. (2017). Gretchen Rubin. Library Journal, 142(13), 107. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aqh&AN=124829166&site=ehos

t-live

This resource is the transcript of the questions asked to Gretchen Rubin in an interview as
well as her responses. Gretchen Rubin is the author of the books The Happiness Project
and Better than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives, both of which
discuss the power of good habits. Rubin also coined a theory based on what she refers to
as “the four tendencies”, which details how people can tailor their habits to their basic
inclinations in order to achieve their goals. That said, this interview is a very important
source to my research process, as it provides her insights on the four tendencies and their
importance as well as her process of creating the quiz that determines an individual’s
tendency. According to Rubin’s responses in the interview, knowing one’s tendency
enables them to see their bad habits more clearly, and allows them to adjust their habits
around what they tend to do; furthermore, individuals are able to gain compassion
through understanding that not everyone has the same tendencies as they do. This is
helpful information because it essentially outlines the purpose of Rubin’s work, which I
will be researching further throughout the process. Additionally, understanding Rubin’s
process of writing the quiz questions provides deeper insight into the psychology behind
the quiz itself and why it is effective.

Merlo, D., Nemec, P., Swarbrick, M. (2015). Force of habits: Creating and sustaining a wellness

lifestyle. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 53(9), 24-30. doi:

10.3928/02793695-20150821-01

The article discusses how habits can have a strong impact on personal wellness, whether
it be positive or negative. It also discusses the processes of habit formation and habit
elimination. According to the authors, it may be more effective to substitute a new habit
for an old habit, rather than simply trying to resist the urge to perform the old habit.
Furthermore, trying to stop a bad habit without initiating a new behavior can have the
reverse effect due to the mental energy devoted to that behavior. The article details the
 three contributors to behavior change-- motivation, willpower, and rewards. Amongst the
motivational factors are need, interest or desire, beliefs, expectations, and initiation.
Willpower is discussed with respect to self-control (moment-by-moment; resisting
temptation) as well as to grit (long-term perseverance). Rewards are expanded to include
both internal and external as well as short-term and long-term, and the concepts of praise
and criticism are also explained. The authors also stress the importance of self-awareness,
whether it be while performing an action or acknowledging the change that is desired,
identifying reasons to change, and creating a plan to implement. Ultimately, this source is
a great reference, as it provides an in-depth analysis of habits, their roots, and how to
manipulate them to benefit wellbeing.

Neal, D., Wood, W. (2016). Healthy through habit: Interventions for initiating & maintaining

health behavior change. Behavioral Science & Policy, 2(1), 71-83.

Neal and Wood describe both breaking and creating habits as the central aspect of
behavior change. Throughout the article, there is discussion of interventions, but much of
the article is dedicated to strategies for maintaining new habits and or lifestyle choices as
well. Several different types of interventions are introduced, both for forming new habits
and breaking bad ones. The authors highlight behavior repetition, context cues, and
rewards for establishing new habits and cue disruption, environmental reengineering, and
vigilant monitoring for breaking bad habits. As they explain each one of these
interventions, the authors reference numerous studies to support their claims about
behaviors and habit change. Additionally, helpful diagrams are inserted throughout the
work that name the principle, such as a specific intervention, and provide examples of
them in practice in order to clarify how they may be applied in real life.

Neal, D., Wood, W., & Quinn, J. (2006). Habits: A repeat performance. Current Directions in

Psychological Science, 15(4), 198-202. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2018

3111

This article describes several relevant aspects of habits, and explains how each works as
evidenced by research studies and other examples. The authors discuss how associative
learning explains the link between actions and contexts as well as the link between
contexts and implicit goals. Essentially, when behavior is consistently repeated, whether
consciously or unconsciously, a “direct association” forms between the context of the
action and the behavior itself. The article also describes habit chunking and reward-based
 behavior, which are additional prevalent occurrences related to habits that can make
breaking them more difficult. The relationship between intention and habits was is also
introduced, as backed up by a study on college students by co-writer and psychologist
Wendy Wood. In the study, it was discovered that stronger habits are more likely to
override intention, whereas weaker habits are more likely to defer to intention, thus
supporting the hypothesis that habits can be cued regardless of an individual’s intention.
This conclusion is expanded on in the final few sections of the article, and ultimately
conveys that it takes more than a change of heart to change a habit--it takes a change in
context at the very least.

Ouellette, J., Wood, W. (1998). Habit and intention in everyday life: The multiple processes by

which past behavior predicts future behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 124, 54-74.

This article explains habits as a product of past behavior. Essentially, the authors argue
that an individual’s frequent behaviors of the past tend to reflect behaviors that will be
performed automatically in the future, and they highlight the control an individual has
over their future behavior in doing so. There is a large focus on the concept of intention
within the article, which is very useful because it connects to the idea of manipulating
habits to benefit everyday life. Wood and Ouellette relate intentions to attitudes toward
behaviors, and note that they can be either impulsive or intentional, or somewhere in
between. Importantly, the authors distinguish two processes that action generation and
control can follow: automatic repetition of past acts and controlled, conscious reliance on
behavioral intentions. The article also synthesizes the present research on the relationship
between past and future behavior, and evaluates the impact of intention. Furthermore, the
authors detail the studies that were analyzed in their review of the present research, which
provides more insight into the relevance of their conclusions.

Rubin, G. (2015). Better than before: Mastering the habits of our everyday lives. New York:

Crown Publishers.

Gretchen Rubin’s book Better Than Before is a guide to changing habits, in order to
change one’s life. From just reading the preface and the first chapter, it is obvious that
this is a great reference. In the two sections I read, the author debunks the idea of a “one-
size-fits-all solution” and conveys the importance of taking the first step in changing a
habit, as well as that of avoiding the urge to stop. In the preface, Rubin harps on the
notion of knowing oneself and finding the strategies that work based on that
understanding, but also being willing to learn from the experience of others. The first
chapter is filled with Rubin’s personal experiences and those of others around her as she
exposes common walls that tend to prevent people from making a change. Though she
does not provide specific habits that she insists are important to form, Rubin does
elaborate on several strategies that work for different types of situations and different
types of people, even tying these methods back to her theory on the four tendencies at
one point. The numerous concepts and philosophies Rubin introduces in just the first two
sections of the book will be valuable references, which speaks to the prospect of all that
is held within the entire book.