And we are not counting smoking and drugs
Bad habits aren't addictions. They're repetitive, negative behaviours that often start as coping mechanisms.
If you don’t smoke or do drugs you may think you’re clear of bad habits. But what if you bite your nails or pop gum repeatedly? Bad habits aren’t addictions. They’re repetitive, negative behaviours that often start as coping mechanisms.
So, how do you stop doing them? It’s not so easy. Habits can trigger the release of dopamine, a chemical that’s part of the brain’s reward system. You get positive reinforcement from your brain for performing these habits, so that compels you to keep going. In addition, researchers have found that habits form familiar neural pathways in your brain. If a behaviour is routine, this frees your brain to concentrate on other things. Let’s look at the habits that are the toughest to break.
Gum snapping
But by the time we reach adulthood, we’re not normally chewing bubble gum, but the kind that freshens breath. That gum isn’t ideal for blowing bubbles, so some people resort to snapping, or popping it instead. Gum snapping can become an unconscious behaviour used to relieve stress or boredom. However, there are some positives of gum chewing. Researchers found that it made people focus better on tests of mental agility for about 20 minutes.
Snacking
It is one of the toughest habits to give up. And there’s science behind it. Our brains tell us to snack because they make us feel good. Foods high in fat and carbohydrates raise our mood by producing neurotransmitters like serotonin and anandamide. These brain chemicals work with others like opioids that can relieve stress and even physical pain. But these are temporary effects; the negatives, like feeling sluggish and guilty or even gaining weight, aren’t worth it.
Nail-biting
Biting your nails isn’t as unhealthy a habit as snacking, but it’s still a bad one. Interestingly, the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders classifies nail-biting as a body-focused repetitive behaviour disorder along with hair twirling and skin picking and relates them all to behaviours characteristic of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Swearing
When a character starts swearing on TV or in a movie, it can be pretty funny. But it’s often not so funny in real life. Many people consider swearing vulgar, low class and unprofessional. They see the swearer as lacking in self-control and unable to express himself properly. On the positive side, swearing has been shown to calm a person down and let her express anger without hurting anybody.
Procrastination
Procrastinators sabotage themselves to avoid doing something that they don’t want to do. They’re the ones who cram all night for a test, routinely pay late fees for bills and buy gifts on the way to the party.
The outcome is often poor test marks, wasted money and a late arrival at the event. It’s not about running out of time, it’s about failing to regulate behaviour.
It’s difficult to understand the motivation behind procrastination but here are some common reasons:
- Fear of failure or success
- Fear of making a bad decision
- Seeking a pressure-fuelled adrenaline rush
- Rebelling against controlling parents or other authority figures
Gossiping
Gossiping may seem harmless, but it has significant repercussions. At the workplace, gossip can be a huge problem because it can lower morale and decrease productivity. Families have been torn apart by secrets that were not to supposed to have been revealed.
Gossip can also be about power: One person has information the others don’t have and keeps the power by deciding who to share the tidbits with.
( Source : www.health.howstuffworks.com )
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