The problem that we read less and less is not a lack of time or discipline: it is that we do not do ‘habit-stacking’

We all know the scene: a pile of books gathering dust on the nightstand and a silent promise that, this weekend, we will finally get around to reading. However, Sunday night arrives and we have barely turned a couple of pages, so our relationship with reading has become in an “aspirational disenchantment”. We want to read, we long to get into the habit, but in the event of any temporary unforeseen event, the book is the first thing we discard.

We usually punish ourselves by thinking that we lack willpower or that we don’t have enough free time. We wait for the holidays to devour novels, believing that reading requires large blocks of uninterrupted time. But behavioral science has bad news for our ego and great news for our routine: it’s not a discipline problem, it’s a design problem. The solution is not in motivation, but in a neurological “hack” known as habit-stacking or habit stacking.

The motivation trap. When we don’t achieve our wellness or intellectual goals, “it’s not because we don’t care enough or aren’t disciplined,” explains Dr. Eve Glazier. to Washington Post. Failure comes because we rely too much on ephemeral motivation and lack a realistic implementation plan.

This is where the habit-stacking. Popularized by behavioral experts such as BJ Fogg (creator of the method Tiny Habits at Stanford University) and James Clear (author of the best-selling Atomic Habits), this technique consists of linking a new habit that we want to incorporate to a habit that we already do automatically every day. As James Clear detailsthe formula is astonishingly simple: “After a ‘current habit,’ I will make a ‘new habit.'” Applied to our problem, the goal is to stop saying “I’m going to read more”—an abstract and overwhelming goal—and use everyday anchors. For example: “After I turn on the coffee maker in the morning, I’ll read a page,” or “After I brush my teeth at night, I’ll pick up my book.”

The biological “hack”. As James Clear explains Based on neurobiology, our brain experiences a phenomenon called “synaptic pruning.” As we age, the brain eliminates the neural connections we don’t use and strengthens the ones we repeat daily (like showering or making morning coffee). By “stacking” reading on top of an already strong and established neural pathway, the new habit travels first class. The brain uses signal-based learning (cue-based learning), dramatically reducing friction and decision fatigue. You simply no longer have to remember to read; your coffee maker reminds you.

And achieving it has an impact that goes far beyond general culture. As we analyzed recently in Xatakaa 12-year study with more than 3,600 participants showed that reading books reduces the risk of mortality by 20%. Readers have a 23-month survival advantage over non-readers, thanks to the fact that deep reading improves cognitive reserve. And no, you don’t have to read for hours: the study suggests that 30 minutes a day are enough to obtain these benefits.

The voice of the experts: start in miniature. If the theory is so good, how do we apply it without failing in the attempt? The experts consulted by the main media agree on several golden rules to design our habit-stacking:

• It starts ridiculously small: Psychologist Beena Persaud, cited in Washington Postwarns against drastic changes. Don’t aim to “read a whole chapter”, aim to “open the book and read a paragraph”. Make the tiny habit guarantees that you comply even on your worst days.
• The anchor must be unbreakable: Psychologist Melissa Ming Foynes explains to Real Simple that the anchor must be bulletproof. If you want to read at night but your children constantly interrupt your sleep routine, using the night as an anchor is a mistake. Find something you do “rain or shine.”
• Forget the 21 day myth: As stated Dr. Axscience has shown that forming a habit takes between 18 and 254 days (with an average of 66 days). Patience is vital.
• Use the “Principle of “Premack”: Dr. Lauren Alexander recommends applying immediate rewards. When you achieve your micro-reading habit, give yourself a small reward so that your brain releases dopamine and closes the positive reinforcement cycle.

Beware of mirages. However, before starting to pile up habits, it is important to understand our context. In Spain, 65.5% of citizens claims to read for leisure (an all-time high), but this figure may be inflated by “social bias”: we like to brag that we read because it gives us prestige. Furthermore, reports of The Economist they point out that the best-sellers current ones have a readability equivalent to that of a 16-year-old teenager. We read less deeply than we think.

Added to this is the danger of misunderstanding the habit-stacking. How to warn Guardian, Now there is a viral trend on social networks known as bedtime stacking. It consists of going to bed at 8:30 p.m. but taking an arsenal of tasks: the laptop, the iPad, the skincarea snack and the gratitude journal. Far from being a productive habit stack, it’s a disaster for sleep hygiene and destroys our circadian rhythm.

Consistency vs. intensity. At the end of the day, in behavioral psychology “consistency always trumps intensity”. Great personal transformations are not born from marathon reading weekends, but from ridiculously small daily actions repeated over months.

We are not bad readers nor do we lack discipline. We have simply been using the wrong tools to fight a hyperconnected life. By chaining reading to our toothbrush or our coffee, we stop depending on capricious inspiration to finally put our own biology to work in our favor.

Image | Photo by Matias North on Unsplash

Xataka | Science has calculated the real impact of reading books on your brain. And it has a very simple recipe: 30 minutes a day

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The problem that we read less and less is not a lack of time or discipline: it is that we do not do ‘habit-stacking’

was originally published in

Xataka

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Alba Otero

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