“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

This familiar quote is often attributed to Aristotle, although it was actually written by philosopher Will Durant in 1926, summarising Aristotle’s ideas about habit and character. It’s an observation that applies to our less admirable behaviours just as much as our achievements.

Most of us have habits we’d rather leave behind. Reaching for something sweet when we’re not hungry, putting off exercise or mindlessly scrolling through social media. We know they’re not necessarily good for us, yet knowing that rarely makes them disappear.

So why are bad habits so difficult to break? And what does research tell us about changing them?

Much of life happens on autopilot

We tend to think of ourselves as rational decision-makers, weighing up options and choosing the best course of action. But much of our everyday behaviour is driven by habit rather than conscious choice.

A study published in Psychology & Health in September 2025, led by Amanda Rebar and colleagues, set out to measure just how much of our daily activity is habitual.

The researchers recruited 105 people in Australia and the UK and sent them six random prompts each day for a week, asking what they were doing and whether the activity was automatic or intentional.

The results were striking. Around 66% of everyday activities were initiated by habit, while nearly 88% were performed at least partly on autopilot.

However, the study also established that many of these automatic behaviours were things people actually wanted to do. Habits aren’t necessarily the enemy.

But if so much of what we do is habitual, how do we interrupt the behaviours we’d rather change?

Four ways to disrupt a bad habit

An experiment published in Communications Psychology in March 2026 examined different strategies for weakening unhealthy snacking habits. Robert Edgren, Dario Baretta and Jennifer Inauen recruited 313 participants for a 13-week study.

The approaches are easiest to understand with an example. Imagine I’m trying to stop eating a vanilla slice every time I go for a walk. (For the record, Banana Boogie bakery sells the best vanilla slices in Australia.)

The researchers directly tested the last three strategies, not cue discontinuity.

The results offered some encouragement, but also a reality check. The interventions accelerated the decline in habit strength during the first week compared with the control group. However, there was no significant difference in overall reduction over the longer study period, nor was one strategy clearly better than another.

Interestingly, the control group also reduced its habit strength. Simply monitoring their snacking behaviour may have made participants more conscious of what they were doing. This suggests awareness itself is part of the solution.

Why our environment matters

A review of neuroscience research published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences in January 2025 by Eike Buabang and colleagues helps explain why habits are so persistent. Unlike an experiment, this paper brings together findings from existing research into how habits form and how they can be changed.

The researchers describe two systems influencing our behaviour. One is goal-directed: we consciously consider what we want to achieve. The other is stimulus-driven: familiar situations and cues trigger automatic responses.

Think about reaching for your phone whenever you have a spare moment. You don’t necessarily decide that checking social media is the best use of your time. Boredom, a notification or simply seeing your phone can trigger the response.

This is why. The review highlights how changing our surroundings can be more effective than relying on willpower. It also suggests that stress, tiredness and cognitive overload make us more likely to fall back on bad habits.

Give new habits time to take hold

Breaking an old habit is only half the story. We also need to establish new behaviours, and that takes longer than many of us think.

A systematic review and meta-analysis by University of South Australia researchers, published in Healthcare in December 2024, examined 20 studies involving 2,601 participants.

It challenged the popular belief that it takes just 21 days to form a new habit. The median time was around 59–66 days, while average times ranged from 106 to 154 days. Individual results varied enormously.

The researchers also found that consistency, personal choice and enjoyment were important. Having a specific plan and linking a new activity to an existing routine helped too.

In other words, we’re more likely to succeed by choosing something we actually enjoy, making it part of our routine and giving it time to become automatic.

Making better habits stick

The research offers a useful shift in perspective. Habits are shaped by repetition, environment and the cues we encounter every day. Changing them means paying attention to the routines we’ve established and the circumstances that keep them going.

The good news is that the same mechanisms that reinforce unwanted behaviours can help us establish better ones. Small, consistent changes, a supportive environment and choosing activities we actually enjoy can all make a difference.

The real opportunity isn’t to eliminate our habits, but to be more deliberate about the ones we cultivate. We often are what we do often.

Square Holes is a cultural insight studio.

We design mixed method explorations of people and culture beyond the category,  uncovering the patterns, tensions and shifts shaping behaviour to inform strategy, inspire innovation and enable confident decisions. Our studio model brings together the right mix of thinkers, researchers and specialists for each exploration. If you’re navigating change, entering a new market, or seeking deeper understanding of people and culture, let’s start a conversation >