How can we Reconcile the Paradox of Habit Psychology?

An interview with author, behavioral scientist, & habits expert Samuel Salzer

Within the psychology of habits, there are some deep paradoxes and contradictions. On the one hand, habits make tasks easier to accomplish. If you want to run a mile everyday, creating a daily habit will make this much easier. At the same time, habits make these experiences less rich, and more forgettable. If you run habitually, you’re far less likely to appreciate and remember each jogging experience.

Our drive for habits is also paradoxical. We seek out stability and routine, while also craving novelty and disruption.

How should we think about these apparent these psychological paradoxes? How can we reconcile them, and find a happy medium? Or can we? In this interview, we explore these tensions with habit expert, Samuel Salzer.

Let’s dive in.

We recently spoke about this trade-off in the psychology of habits: they make things easier, but they also can take away from the richness of the experience, and the memories we take away from it. How can people find a balance between these?

It’s a tricky balance to strike. One approach is to build routines that incorporate intentional moments of awareness, where you focus on what makes an experience special.

Yes, that might seem like a paradox, but just because we have these ‘domino habits’ in place that ensure we start certain sequences of behaviors, it doesn’t mean we can’t find space for mindfulness or gratitude. For example, my friend has made it a habit to express gratitude during dinner. This ritual of acknowledging what they’re thankful for has become a cherished part of their daily life. Even though the days may feel repetitive, this practice helps them break the monotony by reminding them of life’s positive aspects.

Similarly, with something like going to the gym, you could have a habit of going at the same time every week. But once you’re there, you can switch things up—try different classes, do various workouts, and so on. So, in this way, we really can enjoy both the structure of habits and the richness of new experiences.

We seem to want to switch off between novelty seeking and routines. Why do you think that is?

It’s a complex issue, but I think it’s part of the human condition. While we might expect to someday find a long-term solution that brings us contentment, the reality is that we aren’t wired for perfect equilibrium. It seems evolutionarily advantageous for us to push for both stability and novelty.

Too much stability can lead to stagnation, while too much novelty can be overwhelming or risky. That’s why it’s beneficial to mix both—venturing out of our comfort zones occasionally, even amidst stability, and introducing stability when life feels too chaotic.

This idea goes beyond habit psychology; it’s a broader concept that applies to life in general. People may find happiness in a job or a city at first, but eventually, they crave change and new experiences. It’s a continuous cycle that reflects our innate need for both novelty and security. Explore and exploit.

It seems like there’s a genuine tension between a need for novelty and a need for stability. Why do you think that is?

I think so, too. This tension often arises as people go through different life stages. For instance, someone might find stability during their college years, but after graduation, when they move to a new city like New York, that stability is disrupted. They might after a while find a new sense of stability while being single, but then entering a relationship or moving in with someone shifts the dynamics again. Further changes, like relocating or starting a family, continue to challenge that stability.

I’ve noticed a special tension in people who are naturally high in openness to experience—those who thrive on novelty, travel frequently, and might have work that has them constantly in new environments. These individuals often struggle with building habits because, by definition, they’re always shifting contexts. When you’re constantly changing your environment, the contextual cues that typically trigger habitual behaviors are disrupted, making it difficult for the brain to settle into any consistent routine.

There’s still room to build habits, but they might need to be centered around a specific time of day rather than a place. However, it’s undeniably more difficult to establish these habits when you’re always on the move.

This challenge became particularly evident during major disruptions like COVID. Such events can be both a blessing and a curse. They can disrupt bad habits and create opportunities for new, healthier ones, but they can also disrupt good habits, making it harder to re-establish those patterns once the context has shifted so dramatically.

In essence, while novelty keeps life interesting, it also makes it harder to find and maintain the stability that habits provide.

One thing that appears again and again in the habit psychology research is the crucial importance of context. When we change the context, our behaviors - especially our habitual behavior, can change dramatically. How do you think that context influences our habits, and our sense of identity?

There’s no denying that context plays a significant role in shaping both our habits and our sense of identity, and the research strongly supports this. For example, studies have shown that proximity to certain establishments, like fast food restaurants, can influence our dietary choices, while having a gym nearby makes it more likely that we’ll work out regularly. The accessibility of resources in our environment can significantly shape our behaviors.

Personally, I think about this a lot in terms of where I choose to live. In a way, I’m shaping my identity by deciding on my surroundings. Of course, I’m not completely at the mercy of my environment—I can adapt and find ways to maintain my habits even if it’s more challenging. But I have to acknowledge that without convenient access to facilities like a gym or a swimming pool, it would be much harder to maintain those routines.

While we do have control over our actions, perhaps the greatest control we have is in deliberately choosing the context we live in—whether that’s the built environment or our social environment. The choices we make about our surroundings inevitably reflect on the person we become and how we behave, even if we’re not always fully aware of the influence they exert. By consciously designing our environment, we set ourselves up for the habits and identity we wish to cultivate.

More from Samuel Salzer on The Psychology of Habits, and The Trade-Offs within Habit Psychology

Photo by Jurrien Huggins via UnSplash