Old habits die hard — but so are new ones borne.
Life hackers have long hypothesized about the existence of a provable time benchmark when a new practice becomes a disciplined skill. Old myths have suggested lengths of two to four weeks are all that’s needed to train the brain to keep up with a new habit.
However, researchers at the University of South Australia found that new habits are forged only after about two months — and many more, for an unlucky some — according to a new study published in the journal Healthcare.
“Emerging evidence on health-related habit formation indicates that while habits can start forming within about two months, the time required varies significantly across individuals,” the researchers wrote in their report.
The new findings included data from over 2,500 participants across 20 previous studies that examined healthy habit formation, including regular exercise, daily flossing and drinking plenty of water, and the length of time before the habit became “automatic.”
The combined results showed that new habits formed between 106 and 154 days on average. The range, with a median or 56 to 66 days, included extremes of just 4 days and as long as 335 days.
Researchers said the preliminary investigation should give hope to some who feel discouraged by previous attempts to maintain healthy habits, adding that more and better quality studies on the subject could reveal effective new approaches.
“When trying to establish a new healthy habit, success can be influenced by a range of things including how frequently we undertake the new activity, the timing of the practice, and whether we enjoy it or not,” said lead study researcher Ben Singh in a university press release.
“If you add a new practice to your morning routine, the data shows that you’re more likely to achieve it. You’re also more likely to stick to a new habit if you enjoy it.”
