How good are you at keeping your New Year’s Resolutions and why? Dr. Caren Baruch-Feldman hosts a two-part discussion entitled “The Science of Bad Habits and Willpower” at the Scarsdale Public Library, in Scarsdale, NY. Dr. Baruch-Feldman is a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist. For more information, visit Dr. Baruch-Feldman’s website drbaruchfeldman.com. She has also shared her expertise on the faculty of ExpertOnlineTraining.com

1. The Science of Bad Habits and Willpower: Make
New Year’s Resolutions that You Will Keep
Presented by: Dr. Caren Baruch-Feldman
Drbaruchfeldman.com
Scarsdale Library
January 25, 2013

2. A Little Bit About Me
Before After

3. Goals for Today
1. Review the latest research in
habits and willpower (based on 3
books).
2. Help you to develop your own
positive, new habits.
3. Teach you the secrets of making
New Year’s resolutions that stick.

4. Four Books: The Power of Habit, The Willpower Instinct,
Rediscover the Greatest Human Strength: Willpower,
The Beck Diet Solution
Today ‘s Discussion: March 1st: How To Keep Your
The Science of Bad Habits And Willpower: Willpower and Lose Your Weight
Make New Year’s Resolutions that You Will Keep

5. Review Key Points from 3 books

6. Aha Moments from the Power of Habit
BAD NEWS GOOD NEWS
• Our brains are lazy. • Flex those willpower
• Glucose which muscles.
releases dopamine • Key to changing
hijacks the brain. habits: cue, routine,
• Stress makes us reward, plus belief.
more susceptible to
fall into bad habits.

7. Aha Moments from the
Willpower books
BAD NEWS GOOD NEWS
Willpower is a limited Since willpower is limited,
resource. need to make into a
Glucose/sugar refuels habit so willpower is
willpower (ugh). not being used.
Make a bright-line rule: a
clear unmistakable
boundary.

8. Willpower Book: Do You Suffer From
Decision Fatigue?
• Three men doing time in Israeli • There was a pattern to the
prisons appeared before a parole parole board’s decisions,
board consisting of a judge, a but it wasn’t related to the
criminologist and a social worker.
The parole board granted
men’s ethnic backgrounds,
freedom to only one of them. crimes or sentences. Guess
Which one? which one?
• Case 1 (heard at 8:50 a.m.): An Arab
Israeli serving a 30-month sentence
for fraud.
• Case 2 (heard at 3:10 p.m.): A Jewish
Israeli serving a 16-month sentence
for assault.
• Case 3 (heard at 4:25 p.m.): An Arab
Israeli serving a 30-month sentence
for fraud.
.

9. What You Can Do To Change a Habit
• Change one habit at a time.
• Keystone habits: write it down and exercise.
• Wait 10 minutes.
• Pre-commit. Makes it difficult to reverse your
preferences.
• Practice meditation.
• Get social support and make it public.

10. What You Can Do To Change a Habit
• Know your triggers. Don’t think you’ll
outsmart old habits. Instead try to avoid
them.
• Make it easy to be good and hard to be bad.
• Hyperbolic discounting.
• Takes at least 3 weeks, sometimes even
longer to change a habit.
• Change your outlook/thinking. Develop a
new belief.

11. Changing a Habit is Not Enough: Need
to Change the Belief
• Stay firm.
• Remind yourself of the whole
story, not just the beginning.
• Stay away from- “what the
heck phenomena”.
• Stay away from thinking your
are doing “good”. Focus on
commitment instead of
progress.
• Don’t “count your grilled
chicken before it is hatched”.
• “Your future self, is no better
than your current self.”
• Seek to be consistent.

12. Beliefs
• Stay firm.
• What beliefs get • Remind yourself of the whole
in your way? •
story, not just the beginning.
“what the heck phenomena”
• What can be a • Stay away from thinking your are
doing “good”. Focus on
helpful belief for •
commitment instead of progress.
“Don’t count your grilled chicken
you? before it is hatched”.
• “Your future self, is no better
than your self.”
• Seek to be consistent.
• Avoid, don’t go near my triggers.

13. Let’s put our ideas into practice:
“Change the Bad Habit Form”
1. Write down one bad habit that you would like to work
on.
2. What Is the Cue, Routine, and Reward of this Old
Habit?
3. What Is the Cue, Routine, and Reward for the New
Habit?
4. What Strategies Will You Use? Write It down____,
Meditate____, Seek Social Support____, Don’t Over-
react_____, Wait 10 minutes____, Stand firm_____,
Avoid Triggers, ___, Change my beliefs____, All of the
Above_____
5. What is Your New Belief?

14. “Change the Bad Habit Form”
1. Bad Habit to Change? Getting frustrated with my husband when he gets annoyed
about small things.
2. What Is the Cue, Routine, and Reward of this Old Habit?
Cue = Husband gets annoyed over small things.
Routine = I get frustrated that he is annoyed and show it on my face.
Reward = Get it off my chest and feel superior.
3. What Is the Cue, Routine, and Reward for the New Habit?
Cue = Husband gets annoyed about small things.
Routine = Sit with the feeling. Don’t try to be controlling.
Reward = Better relationship with my husband.
4. What Strategies Will You Use?
Write It down__, Meditate__, Seek Social Support__, Don’t Over-react__, Wait 10
minutes__, Stand firm___, Avoid Triggers, ___, Change my beliefs____, All of the
Above_x____
5. What is Your New Belief? My relationship with my husband is more important than
being right.

15. “Change the Bad Habit Form”
1. Bad Habit to Change? Eating cookies after 9pm.
2. What Is the Cue, Routine, and Reward of this Old Habit?
Cue = feeling entitled/craving.
Routine = go into the kitchen for just 1 cookie, but eat many more.
Reward = dopamine rush and pleasure from taste of cookie.
3. What Is the Cue, Routine, and Reward for the New Habit?
Cue = feeling entitled/craving.
Routine = go into bedroom and drink decaf coffee.
Reward = continue to fit into my size 4 pants.
4. What Strategies Will You Use?
Write It down__, Meditate__, Seek Social Support__, Don’t Over-react__,
Wait 10 minutes__, Stand firm___, Avoid Triggers, ___, Change my
beliefs____, All of the Above_x____
5. What is Your New Belief? “Nothing taste as good as thin feels”.

16. What I Did Personally to Lose 25
Pounds
• Make It a Habit.
• Keep My Sugar Level Stable.
• Avoid My Triggers.
• Change My Beliefs by Being a Long Term Hedonist.
• Write It Down.
• Make It Public.
• I Try My Hardest Not to Engage in What the Heck. I
Am Forgiving of Myself and Go Right Back on the
Scale.

17. Summary
• Willpower is a limited resource.
• Glucose hijacks the brain.
• Make it a habit.
• Prevent, prevent, and then if can’t prevent, avoid,
avoid, and then avoid.
• Develop beliefs that will inspire you.
• Be mindful and reflective, focusing on the long term
consequences as opposed to the immediate rewards.

18. Come back!!!
• We will continue our conversation on March
1st at 1030 (Friday).
• Topic: How to Keep Your Willpower and Lose
Your Weight.
• The discussion will be based on Judith
• Judith Beck’s The Beck Diet Solution Book.
• Do you want a partner to give you additional
support?

19. Something to Think About: Bloomberg’s
Ban on Supersize Soda
• Given what you read in these books and what
you heard today, what do you think of
Bloomberg’s ban on supersize soda?