# Do habits exist?

**URL:** <https://forum.beeminder.com/t/do-habits-exist/4729>\
**Category:** Akrasia\
**Created:** [January 5, 2019, 9:10pm UTC](https://forum.beeminder.com/t/do-habits-exist/4729 "2019-01-05T21:10:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![oulfis](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.beeminder.com/oulfis/32/229_2.png) [@oulfis](https://forum.beeminder.com/u/oulfis)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2019, 10:42pm UTC](https://forum.beeminder.com/t/do-habits-exist/4729/2 "2019-01-05T22:42:23Z")

</div>

This is an interesting framing, which _almost_ makes me willing to concede that I _might_ have some habits:

> [@zedmango](#):
>
> the behavior still takes effort, but _not_ doing it brings some feeling of discomfort that is strong enough to make your default action be to do the behavior

However, of the examples given, only wearing a seatbelt is something I do regularly. But I think, actually, the most compelling account for “habits” I’ve heard lately is from the Atomic Habits book club (I haven’t been reading the book, but have been following along with the comments):

> [@Atomic Habits: The Fundamentals](https://forum.beeminder.com/t/atomic-habits-the-fundamentals/4641/6):
>
> “The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity. It’s one thing to say I’m the type of person who wants this. It’s something very different to say I’m the type of person who is this.”

I’m definitely the type of person who wears a seatbelt every time they are in a car.

And the “_not_ doing it brings some feeling of discomfort” framing sort of explains, I think, _how_ I am that type of person: for me, is that the act of “getting into a car” includes four steps. 1, open door; 2, get in; 3, close door; 4, buckle seatbelt. I’ve mentally bundled them to the extent that it wouldn’t occur to me to skip my seatbelt any more than it would occur to me to skip closing the door.

Thinking in terms of identity also helps me identify “habits” I _do_ have: I may not be the type of person who regularly brushes their teeth or eats meals or responds to emails, but I _am_ the type of person who gets a lot of reading done, for example. I know many people who talk about wanting to “find time” read more, but I feel like I don’t have to do anything at all and I read something every day. Or, I habitually walk places within a mile or two, or take transit (because I’m the kind of person who doesn’t drive). I’m not sure if these are really “habits” but they’re the kinds of things I’d be wanting to accomplish by establishing new “habits” so it seems like they count?

---

_[View the full topic](https://forum.beeminder.com/t/do-habits-exist/4729)._