Duckworth and Gross (2020), "Behavior Change"

Angela L. Duckworth and James J. Gross, “Behavior Change.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 161: 39-49, 2020.

• Suppression of impulses is a mug’s game. But changing the environment and adopting strategies concerning how we react hold promise.

• The requisite changes might be self-initiated, or initiated by others, such as employers or the government. Notice that self-deployed strategies require that people be sophisticated about their self-control shortcomings.

• Please put aside problems that arise from lack of knowledge or skill. This article is devoted to looking at situations where "we know what we should do and how to do it [p. 40]." 

• How to overcome the fact that  (temporarily) tempting options might get chosen over alternatives that are preferred by our more considered selves? The authors outline the "process model of behavior change" to point to methods where the "larger later" option is not sacrificed to the temporarily appealing "smaller sooner" choice. Here's their Figure 2 (p. 40) that outlines the process model: 

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• Habits or self-adopted strategies might allow you to skip the appraisal stage, leading to an automatic response when a familiar situation enters awareness. Giving into temptation, then, is not the done thing, it doesn't present itself as a viable alternative. 

• But sometimes you both want to take the stairs (for exercise) and want to take the elevator (because you are tired). What can be done to encourage stair-taking or other types of physical exercise?

• The process model suggests that you could try to alter the situation, alter where you put your attention, and/or alter your response strategy – or try to inculcate one of those automatic responses that skips the appraisal stage.

• You could begin the day by putting on comfy shoes; you could do things that would make the lazy alternative less available, like not bringing your car keys or bus pass. 

• You could keep track of your steps and adopt a so-many steps per day goal.

• You could reframe the time-consuming walk as “an energy break.”

• You could adopt (and possibly publicize) a rule that you always walk.

• Others can help. For instance, employers can make the stairwells more inviting, or promote the social norm/company culture of  stair use.