According to a Willpower study by Australian researchers Megan Oaten and Ken Chew, certain habits spur the creation of other, complimentary habits.
These certain habits are known as Keystone Habits.
Keystone Habits are unique in the habit world in that they produce a Ripple Effect on habit formation.
For example, let’s say you’re overweight and smoke cigarettes. Fed up, you decide to take up jogging in an effort to lose weight and get healthy.
After a month of jogging, you lose ten pounds. People around you take notice and compliment you on your weight loss. This feeds your ego and motivates you.
In an effort to lose more weight, you increase the number of miles you jog every week and also modify your diet. You begin eating healthier – fewer calories and more nutritious food. This helps you lose an additional ten pounds. The compliments continue, further feeding your ego.
The increase in positive emotions associated with your new habits, drives you to cut back on the number of cigarettes you smoke every day in order to improve your breathing, so you can jog even more miles every week. And, you lose even more weight, resulting in more compliments.
Eventually, you give up cigarettes, as this unhealthy habit is now in conflict with your new healthy habits and your new positive emotions.
This singular Keystone Habit, jogging, gave birth to three Complimentary Habits – Eating Less, Eating More Nutritious Food and the Elimination of Cigarettes.
The most interesting thing about Complimentary Habits is that they are almost seamless, meaning, effortless.
One Keystone Habit can foster the creation of several Complimentary Habits and also foster the elimination of several habits that are in conflict with your new habits, without relying on willpower.
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