欧美人文风情第234篇:习惯的力量:了解习惯是如何养成的 掌握改变契机

 So, if you're like me, you probably have at least a few bad habits you would like to break. 如果你和我一样，你可能至少有几个想改掉的坏习惯。

But it's tough because no matter how hard I try, I seem to slip back into the same old routines again and again. 不过那很难，因为不管我多努力尝试，我似乎一次又一次地重蹈覆辙。

In the last decade, we've learned a lot about how habits work. 过去十年来，我们对习惯的运作有许多了解。

That's Charles Duhigg, author of the book The Power of Habit. 那是 Charles Duhigg，《习惯的力量》那本书的作者。

And in particular we've learned the neurological structure of a habit. 而我们特别认识到习惯的神经结构。

He says that we tend to think of habits as a single thing, but actually... 他说我们往往把习惯想成单独一件事，但事实上...

Each habit has three components²: There's a cue, which is like a trigger for a behavior to start. 每个习惯都有三项构成要素：有提示，那就像触发一个行为开始的东西。

And then there's a routine, which is the behavior itself. 然后是惯性行为，也就是行为本身。

And then, finally, a reward, which is how our brain learns to encode that automatic behavior for the future. 接着最后，奖励，也就是我们的大脑如何为未来学习替那自发行为编码。

And one of the big differences is that for years, when people thought about habits, they focused in on the routine, on the behavior. 其中一个最大的差异是，几年来，当人们想到习惯时，他们专注在惯性行为、行为上面。

But what we now know is that it's these cues and these rewards that really shape how habits occur and how to change them. 不过我们现在知道，这些提示和这些奖励，它们才是真正构成习惯形成和改变习惯的方法。

And Charles says that whether we like it or not, this kind of habit formation is endemic to our brain. Charles 表示，无论我们喜不喜欢，这种习惯形成是我们的大脑特有的。

And what it will do is our brain will latch³ on to a cue that it associates with a behavior and a particular reward. 它的作用是，我们的大脑会抓住一个提示，一个大脑连结到某个行为和特定奖励的提示。

And over time, that cue and that reward become more and more and more, sort of, intertwined. 随时间过去，那提示和那奖励会变得有点越来越纠缠在一起。

A particular part of your brain named the basal ganglia will relate them together. 你脑内一个称为基底核的特定区块会将它们连结在一起。

And the behavior that's associated with that, that will just sort of happen automatically. 而和那相关的行为，那就会有点不自觉地发生。

But Charles says the good news is we can also use this knowledge to our advantage. 不过 Charles 表示，好消息是我们可以善用这项知识。

There was a big study that was done about how to create exercise habits. 有一个关于如何养成运动习惯的重大研究。

And so what they did is they told a group of people, "Okay, first of all, choose an obvious cue. 他们所做的事是告诉一群人：「好，首先，选一个明显的提示。

Always go running at the same time every day or put your workout clothes next to your bed so that you see them first thing when you wake up." 每天都在同样时间去跑步，或把运动服放在床边，好让你起床第一眼就看到它们。」

And then they said, "And then go for a run or go workout. And when you get back from exercising, give yourself a small piece of chocolate." 接着他们说：「然后去跑步或健身。在你运动完回来时，给自己一小块巧克力。」

Now, this is kind of counterintuitive, right? Because people who are exercising are trying to lose weight, not eat more chocolate. 现在，这有点违反直觉，对吧？因为运动的人是在试着减重，不是吃更多巧克力。

And yet what the researchers knew is that their brain needed that reward. 然而研究者所知的事情是，他们的大脑需要那奖励。

Their basal ganglia needed some reward. 他们的脑部基底核需要一些奖励。

And what they found was that people who ate a small piece of chocolate after coming home from a run or a workout, 他们发现人们，跑步或健身完回家有吃一小块巧克力的人，

they were much more likely to start exercising habitually⁴. 他们比较有可能开始规律运动。

So, according to Charles, whether you want to break a habit or start a new habit, 所以，根据 Charles 所说，无论你是想改掉一个习惯，或开始养成一个新习惯，

the key is to divide the habit into its component¹ parts: cue, routine, and reward, and design it for the result that you want. 关键是将习惯划分成它的构成要素：提示、惯性行为以及奖励，并依你想达到的结果来设计。

 

1 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

2 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

3 latch   

n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁

参考例句：

• She laid her hand on the latch of the door.她把手放在门闩上。
• The repairman installed an iron latch on the door.修理工在门上安了铁门闩。

4 habitually   

ad.习惯地，通常地

参考例句：

• The pain of the disease caused him habitually to furrow his brow. 病痛使他习惯性地紧皱眉头。
• Habitually obedient to John, I came up to his chair. 我已经习惯于服从约翰，我来到他的椅子跟前。