Behavior: Breaking Bad Habits

Behavior modification is the way to change behavior without using drugs and chemicals. It’s a simple way to change behavior by understanding what makes people do things, and what they like as a reward, and what they dislike as a punishment. It’s used when training children — and animals. It works on adults, too.

If you want to eat healthy, but are having trouble giving in to your urges, reward yourself for eating well, and punish yourself for eating badly. The brain wants to feel good, and it will help you adjust your behavior to feel good and not feel badly.

However, it’s a LOT harder to be your own subject of behavior modification and your own modifier. That’s why this dynamic works best with two people — a parent and a child or a master and a pet or a teacher and a classroom student. Trying to do things yourself, are a lot harder. That’s why the teenage years are so difficult in terms of seeing bad behavior. Parents are not always around as much to help modify behavior of their children because the teens want to break away and individuate.

Many adults who can’t do it themselves join groups like Weight Watchers or gyms where they have personal trainers or classes. This puts them back in a similar situation to what they had as children when they wanted to learn something other than what their body tends to do.