Associates for Professional Development's Latest Articles:

Breaking “The Loop”

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We’ve all seen it. A particular behavior causes us problems, so we make a concerted effort to change it. And the changes work, for a while. Then we gradually slide right back to the old behavior and end up with the same problems.

Why does this happen? And why is it so hard for human beings to effectively change a behavior pattern for good?

The answer isn’t because we are weak or unwilling to change. It lies in brain patterns. These are the brain pathways that develop when we repeat a behavior over and over again. Each time we perform an action we strength the neuronic pathways in the brain, making them more efficient and easier to use.

The Interstate Highway in our Brain. A familiar behavior pattern is like speeding down the interstate on cruise control. Even though we may slow down or change lanes once in a while, we are still on the highway.

Changing an ingrained behavior means getting off the interstate and getting onto a back road full of ruts and bumps. Who wants to do that? It is so much less efficient. In order to create a new behavior, we have to slow down, try something new, and be aware of how much slower it is going to be, at least for a while.

Creating New Patterns. The key to real behavioral change is to create new patterns. The only way to do that is to be intentionally different, even if (or especially if) it less effective. As we perform these new behaviors, they create new pathways in our brain. And the more we repeat them, the more they become like second nature—the more they become like a new interstate.