I’ve recently been thinking about neural pathways and our resistance to changing behavior. The other day while having a chat with a friend about the habit of wearing masks, she remarked it was odd that it took so long for us to get used to it. But is it really? You may remember in the first few months of the Pandemic, we struggled with masks, we resisted, we hated the way they fit our faces, and it was hard to remember to wear them. Twelve months out, most of us wear masks like it is just part of our regular routine, we grab them before we leave the car and seldom forget them. This led me to an interesting parallel in my work with my coaching clients and how changing behavior is so hard.
The Old 21-Day Habit
The classic 21-day habit theory came from Dr. Maxwell Maltx, a plastic surgeon practicing in the 1950’s. After noticing a pattern of patients exhibiting behavioral changes after 21 days, Dr. Maltx wrote a book investigating the phenomenon. He found that it would take a patient about 21 days to get used to seeing a new face or adjusting to an amputated arm or leg. Groundbreaking for its time, his book on the 21-day habit went viral.
In the intervening years behavioral science advanced scientists debunked the 21-day habit theory. In our present understanding of behavior, it’s thought that it takes between three to six months for a behavior to become habitual.
Our Brains and Our Behavior
In The Neuroscience of Behavior Change, Juli Hani describes how the neural pathways in our brains change:
“Neural pathways, comprised of neurons connected by dendrites, are created in the brain based on our habits and behaviors. The number of dendrites increases with the frequency a behavior is performed.”
Imagine for a moment that your brain is a road, and that your neural pathways are grooves in that road. The more we repeat a pattern, the deeper those grooves get, and the easier they become to follow. Some of us have very deep grooves, as we have been repeating these patterns for many, many years. Like on a road, it takes a tremendous amount of willingness and commitment to reshape those grooves, especially the deepest ones.
But one thing we have learned from decades of studying human behavior is that communication and repetition is the key to successfully forming, or breaking habits. As you continue to do a new thing, like wearing a mask, you will find that the behavior becomes automatic. With enough repetition, new grooves form as we create new neural pathways in our brains. With more willingness and commitment you can yield even more successful results.
Neuroplasticisty
Despite what you may have heard, the old adage “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” does not apply to humans. There is hope for those of us that may be older and set in our ways. This hope is called neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change itself constantly and consistently by forging new neural pathways and shedding those which are no longer used, which is essential in adult learning.
In Tara Swart’s article, “The 4 Underlying Principles Of Changing”, she writes that “keeping your brain plastic and flexible isn’t as easy as simply doing a daily sudoku or crossword. For the brain to rewire itself it requires sustained practice of a new behavior which will sufficiently challenge the brain to think in a new way.” It is important to focus on continued learning and development of new neural pathways.
Coach’s Perspective
As coaches, we see these struggles with our clients, whether they manifest on things like confidence, imposter syndrome, or building leadership capacity. We continue to provide strategies for overcoming barriers, creating action plans, accountability and support while our clients are working towards their goals. What I have seen in my work with my clients is the common traits of the ones that achieve the most success are willingness and commitment. It is just like anything else – if we are willing and committed to going to the gym every day, we are going to get stronger. Once we find the willingness, and then we make the commitment to changing to changing behavior, we will create new neural pathways.
Melanie is the Founder & CEO of Radical Ignition, Inc. For over two decades, Melanie’s passion is unleashing human potential. She has spent her career creating pathways for people to be their best and is an experienced leadership coach, people consultant, and facilitator. When working with organizations, Melanie draws from her strong business background and over 20 years in senior leadership inside organizations working with executives and leaders at all levels, as well as her experience consulting across hundreds of organizations in her consulting career. If you are interested in executive coaching or leadership training, contact us at info@radicalignition.com.
