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Habits & Motivation: fun facts and quiz
The essentials in 7 ideas, with fun facts, an illustrated story and a quiz to see how much you know.
The essentials
The Habit Loop
Habits run on a loop: a cue triggers a routine, which brings a reward. Repeat it enough and the routine becomes automatic.
Key fact
Keeping the cue but changing the routine can swap one habit for another.
How Long Habits Take
Forget the “21 days” myth. In one study, new habits took anywhere from 18 to 254 days to become automatic, about 66 days on average.
Key fact
Missing a day now and then doesn’t ruin a new habit.
Classical Conditioning
Ivan Pavlov made a sound before feeding his dogs. Soon the sound alone made them drool. Linking a cue to a response like this is classical conditioning.
Key fact
Your phone’s notification sound can work the same way.
Two Kinds of Motivation
Intrinsic motivation comes from enjoying something for itself; extrinsic motivation comes from rewards or pressure. Intrinsic motivation tends to last longer.
Key fact
Paying people for something they already enjoy can dampen the fun.
Rewards & Dopamine
Dopamine, a brain chemical, rises when we expect a reward, not just when we get one. That’s why surprises and streaks feel so motivating.
Key fact
Unpredictable rewards grab our attention most.
Start Small
Big goals stick better when broken into tiny steps. Tying a new habit to an old one, like stretching after brushing your teeth, helps it stick.
Key fact
Linking a new habit to an existing one is called habit stacking.
Procrastination
Procrastination is less about laziness and more about dodging bad feelings, like boredom or fear of failing. Starting with just two minutes can break the spell.
Key fact
Once started, tasks often feel easier than expected.
Fun facts
Studies suggest that around 40% of what we do each day is habit, not a fresh decision.
The “21 days” myth traces back to a 1960 self-help book by a plastic surgeon, Maxwell Maltz.
Pavlov won a Nobel Prize in 1904, but for his work on digestion, not for conditioning.
When Israeli day-care centres started fining parents who picked up late, late pick-ups went up.
Dopamine isn’t really the “pleasure chemical”: it’s more about wanting and chasing a reward than enjoying it.
One well-known habit method suggests starting with something as small as flossing a single tooth.
Procrastination is very common: most students say they do it regularly.
Story: The Drooling Problem
The Drooling Problem
1890s, St Petersburg. Ivan Pavlov is studying digestion, measuring how much his dogs drool when they’re fed. Something keeps spoiling his results.
The dogs start drooling too early, as soon as the assistant who feeds them walks in. Pavlov turns the nuisance into an experiment.
He sounds a metronome or a buzzer before each meal. Soon the sound alone makes the dogs drool. The famous bell? Mostly a myth.
True or false?
Tap your answer to see if you got it, and why.
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Question 1 of 10
A habit loop starts with a cue.
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True. A time, place, feeling or event.
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Question 2 of 10
Habits always take exactly 21 days to form.
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False. It varies a lot: about 66 days on average in one study.
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Question 3 of 10
In classical conditioning, a neutral cue can come to trigger a response.
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True. Like a sound making dogs drool.
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Question 4 of 10
Doing a puzzle just for fun is intrinsic motivation.
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True. The activity is its own reward.
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Question 5 of 10
Dopamine is linked to expecting rewards.
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True. It spikes at the signal that a reward is coming.
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Question 6 of 10
Tiny, easy steps help new habits stick.
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True. Small wins build momentum.
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Question 7 of 10
Procrastination is often about avoiding unpleasant feelings.
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True. We put off what makes us feel bad.
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Question 8 of 10
Habits form after doing something just once.
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False. They take many repetitions.
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Question 9 of 10
Missing one day doesn’t undo a new habit.
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True. Consistency over time matters more than a perfect streak.
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Question 10 of 10
Classical conditioning only works if you understand the link.
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False. It happens automatically, without thinking.
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KnowSoda learns what you know and brings back what you’re about to forget. Habits & Motivation has 6 more ideas at the Advanced and Expert levels.
Sources
- Lally et al. (2010), “How are habits formed”, European Journal of Social Psychology
- Ryan & Deci (2000), self-determination theory, American Psychologist
- Schultz (1998), dopamine reward prediction, Journal of Neurophysiology
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Ivan Pavlov, classical conditioning
- Gollwitzer (1999), implementation intentions, American Psychologist 54
- Watts, Duncan & Quan (2018), revisiting the marshmallow test, Psychological Science 29
