Learning is a crucial step in effective habit change, one that can be facilitated through the act of writing. Read about the intersection between habits, learning, and writing.
Changing habits doesn’t have to feel so difficult. It’s a learning process that we can facilitate by giving our attention to both old, ineffective habits and new, healthier habits. Writing, particularly with pen and paper, is a great way to focus this attention, boost mindfulness, and learn from our experiences.
Habits Are Learned Behaviors
In Unwinding Anxiety, Dr. Jud Brewer makes a compelling argument that our habits, including anxiety, are all based on rewards-based learning. We learn in a loop.
A stimulus leads to a response, which leads to a reward (good or bad), which reinforces the response. Over time, we keep repeating the behaviors or thoughts that deliver a positive reward, regardless of the long-term ramifications.
For example, we feel stressed out (feeling/stimulus), we eat a candy bar (behavior/response), and dopamine surges from the tasty food (reward). We learn to repeat this behavior over and over because there was an immediate reward.
Unfortunately, we often get stuck in ineffective habit loops. In the candy bar example, we actually feel worse after the sugar crash and guilt sets in. Yet, this is a delayed reaction that our rudimentary brains fail to recognize. We develop habits based on immediate rewards, not long-term consequences.
Dr. Brewer has worked with patients for years to break these habit loops, including anxiety habit loops. How do his patients change their habits? With the use of mindfulness. They start to build awareness of their habit loops, question their habits with curiosity (rather than judgement), and experiment with different behaviors that may serve them better.
In essence, awareness of our habit loops can give us knowledge about the habits that are no longer serving us. With this knowledge, we can learn to integrate new, more effective habits. Through this approach, we can learn to be mindful and thereby change our habits.
Learning and Habits
Learning is a fundamental way to change habits. Rather than trying to muscle up the willpower to just do things differently, we can learn how our ineffective habit loops fail to serve us. This creates an intrinsic drive to change.
As I’ve mentioned before, intrinsic motivation (that which comes from a desire within) always trumps external motivation (that which comes from an external source of pressure). For example, I’m less likely to succeed with a new workout program if my motivation is to follow my doctor’s orders (external) rather than help myself feel better (internal).
For more on the role of intrinsic motivation in habit change, read this!
As we learn about our ineffective habit loops and work to find more effective habits that serve us, we boost our intrinsic motivation. Learning is crucial in this process.
I’m not talking about the learning that takes place by going to school or watching lectures. I’m talking about paying attention to our experiences, understanding our ineffective habit loops, and learning new, more effective self-care habits.
Writing-to-Learn
So if learning facilitates better self-care habits, how can we facilitate learning?
An evidence-based way to learn is through writing. In educational settings, a lot of research has focused on how students learn. One technique, studied since the 1970’s, is known as writing-to-learn.[1] According to the research, writing forces us to use parts of our brains that facilitate long-term learning.
A recent study showed writing-to-learn activities resulted in higher achievement and self-regulation skills for students.[2] In other words, the students retained more information and were able to integrate this data into their existing knowledge-base, forming new ideas.
Another type of writing, known as reflective writing, is used to analyze events, thoughts, or observations. Reflecting allows a writer to draw meaning from his or her experiences. Research shows reflective writing facilitates skill development, professional growth, and the ability to act on change.[3]
Writing With Paper & Pen
Although typing on a computer requires a high-level of attention and thought processing, some argue it’s even better to go the old-fashioned route. Putting a pen to paper was shown to be a more effective means of learning than typing.[4] Students retain more knowledge when they’ve written their notes rather than typed them out.
The experience of using our brains to process information and our bodies (hands) to write out our thoughts is synergistic. It forces a mind-body connection and requires a slower pace with deeper processing, all important aspects of learning new habits.
How Does Writing Help Change Habits?
Our daily habits are just that, habitual. We often fail to think about them in a constructive way, making them mindless activities. However, when we write about our habits or write to change our habits, we bring them to the forefront of our attention and curiosity. It directs our attention so we can become more mindful of how we care (or fail to care) for ourselves.
In addition, writing to dissect our habit loops, record a new experience, or integrate old ideas with new habits forces us to process data at a deep level. It’s not just that habits are getting our attention, but we’re learning to question them, try new things, and incorporate new experiences. As we record our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, we integrate our past experiences with new information. Integration of old and new ideas is learning at its core.
A Personal Example
I’ve found paper and pen writing to be beneficial in my own habit change efforts. Months ago I started a gratitude journal, an evidence-based way to counter our natural negativity bias. Each morning, I take five minutes to record three things from the previous day that were enjoyable or positive.
As I write about a positive experience in my gratitude journal, I am forced to relive it and process it again, solidifying the memory. Plus, writing is slower than thinking, so the positive experience gets more of my attention.
Historically, I’ve never been one to keep a journal, yet this small morning habit has created big changes for me. The act of writing makes me more aware of what’s working in my life and allows me to integrate that information into my perspective. I have more balance. Small stressors are kept in perspective rather than blown out of proportion.
In essence, writing in a gratitude journal is teaching me to change my habits. I’m learning as my thought processes change.
Getting Started
This is a simple change you can make as well. You can change your habits and thoughts through writing. Writing in and of itself can be the new habit, like with a gratitude journal. Or, writing can be a way to learn about your current habits and establish new habits.
Consider writing out your self-care goals, giving particular attention to your “why.” This taps into that intrinsic motivation. Describe your reasons for change and how you can (realistically) make it happen. This is how I got started with my Commitment to Calm.
You can also use reflective writing to track your progress. Start to pay attention to your habit loops, dissecting them into stimulus, response, reward. Consider the long-term consequences of these habit loops and how new, healthier habits might serve you better.
As you build your awareness, you can experiment with new habit loops and write about your experiences. This will facilitate intrinsic motivation, mindfulness, and learning.
Give writing a try and let me know how it goes!
[1] Emig, J. (2020). Writing as a mode of learning. In Landmark Essays (pp. 89-96). Routledge.
[2] Kayaalp, F., Meral, E., & NAMLI, Z. B. (2021). An Analysis of the Effect of Writing-to-Learn Activities Regarding Students’ Academic Achievement and Self-Regulation Skills in Writing. Participatory Educational Research, 9(1), 324-348.
[3] Artioli, G., Deiana, L., De Vincenzo, F., Raucci, M., Amaducci, G., Bassi, M. C., … & Ghirotto, L. (2021). Health professionals and students’ experiences of reflective writing in learning: A qualitative meta-synthesis. BMC medical education, 21(1), 1-14.
[4] Mueller, P. A., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014). The pen is mightier than the keyboard: Advantages of longhand over laptop note taking. Psychological science, 25(6), 1159-1168.
Thank you.