Most of your actions are driven by habit, not thought – here’s why that’s not a bad thing

By Benjamin Gardner, Professor in Psychology, University of Surrey
Amanda L. Rebar, Associate Professor, University of South Carolina

Reaching for our phones upon waking, standing in the same point on the station platform, sneaking in a sweet treat after the evening meal – we all have habits that shape our lives.

But you may underestimate the power habits have in your life. Our new study shows that the majority of actions people take in a day are carried out on autopilot.

Habitual behaviour is made up of the things that we do without thinking, prompted by our environment and learned through repeated enactment.…

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