(单词翻译:单击)
We talk all the time about our habits.
我们总在谈论自己的习惯。
We want to get into the habit of going to the gym, or break the habit of hitting snooze...six times in a row.
我们想养成去健身房锻炼的习惯，或是改掉闹钟响了不起的习惯，连着响六次啊。
But to actually change our habits, it helps to understand how scientists define them -- and what research can tell us about how to make and break them.
但要真正改变我们的习惯，了解科学家如何界定习惯，以及如何养成或改掉习惯的研究，会对我们有所帮助。
A habit is an action that we do automatically in response to some contextual cue, because we've associated that cue with doing that thing.
习惯是一种我们对一些情境线索自动做出反应的行为，因为我们已经把这个线索与做那件事联系起来了。
Like buckling your seatbelt automatically when you get in the car. Being in the car is the cue, and buckling up is the habit.
就像你上车后会自动系好安全带。坐到车里是个线索，系好安全带是一种习惯。
It might seem like an exaggeration, but the thing that scientists call a "habit" really is automatic.
这听起来有点夸张，但科学家称之为“习惯”的东西实际上是自动发生的。
You just experience that contextual cue, and the habit happens without you having to devote much conscious thought to it.
你只需要体验情境线索，习惯就会发生，而你不必为此投入太多有意识的思考。
Those cues can be pretty much anything, from seeing a note on the fridge to having just done another activity.
这些线索可以是任何事，比如在冰箱上看到一张便条，或刚刚做了另一项活动。
And it's the piece that's often overlooked when people talk about habits. A habit isn't just a thing you do… it's also the cue that makes you do it.
当人们谈论习惯时，有一点经常被忽视。习惯不仅仅是你做的一件事，它也是促使你去做那件事的线索。
Psychologists believe we don't always use the best strategy to change our behavior.
心理学家认为我们并不总是用最好的策略来改变自己的行为。
What seems like the obvious way to go isn't always supported by the research into how people actually form durable habits.
看起来显而易见的方式，并非总能得到养成持久性习惯的研究支持。
Like smart phone apps designed to remind you to do the thing. Great idea, right? Your phone reminds you until eventually, you just do it automatically.
就像智能手机应用提醒你做事情一样。这是个好主意，对吧？手机会提醒你，直到最后你能把它自动完成。
But a 2015 study from researchers in the UK showed that reminders from an app can increase the likelihood that you'll do something in the moment, but it'll also work against that thing becoming an automatic habit.
但是，英国研究人员2015年进行的一项研究表明，应用的提醒可以增加你现在做某件事的可能性，但它也会阻止这种事成为一种自动完成的习惯。
Why? Because you have the reminder to rely on! There's no reason for the habit to become automatic, because your phone will tell you what to do and when.
为什么？因为你依赖提醒！没有理由让这个习惯变成自动的，因为手机会告诉你该做什么、什么时候做。
But research says that there is stuff we can do to be better at making habits. One strategy is known as piggybacking.
但研究表明，我们可以做一些事情来更好地养成习惯。一种策略称为加载。
This is where you pile an activity on top of another habit that you're already in the...habit of doing. That way, the habit you already have can serve as the cue to do the second one.
做法是在一个你已经养成习惯的活动上再加一项活动。这样，已经养成的习惯就可以作为第二个习惯的线索。
For example, a study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology found that people trying to get into the habit of flossing their teeth could piggyback the habit of tooth flossing onto the habit of tooth brushing.
例如，一项发表在《英国健康心理学》杂志上的研究发现，试图养成用牙线剔牙习惯的人，可以把刷牙习惯与用牙线的习惯结合起来。
Furthermore, they had more success forming the habit when they flossed after brushing than when they flossed before, because the teeth-brushing became the cue for them to floss.
而且，如果先刷牙再用牙线剔牙，更能成功地养成这个习惯，因为刷牙变成了用牙线剔牙的线索。
Now, how long does it take to really pick up a habit? There's a lot of self-help advice out there that tries to convince you that you can form a habit in 21 days.
那么，真正养成一个习惯需要多久呢？有很多自助指南试图说服你，说可以在21天内养成一个习惯。
But research suggests there's really no set timeline by which a habit is set in stone. It often takes much longer than three weeks -- but it also can vary widely from person to person.
但研究表明，养成一个习惯并没有固定的时间限定。通常要花三个多星期的时间，但也可能因人而异。
One 2010 study of 82 participants tracked how automatic a particular habit became for people over the course of 12 weeks.
2010年，在一项对82名参与者进行的研究中，研究人员在12周的时间内跟踪参与者，看他们是如何让一个特定的习惯变成自动化行为的。
The researchers then used that information to approximate how long it would take for the habit to become fully automatic for each participant.
然后，研究人员利用这些信息来估计，每个参与者将习惯变成完全自动化行为所需要的时间。
And...the results ranged from 18 days to 254 days. But, they also found that occasional missed days didn't doom the habit. You don't have to be perfect!
结果从18天到254天不等。但是，他们也发现偶尔错过几天并不会破坏习惯的养成。你不用做得完美无缺！
You just have to stick with it. And then, of course, we often underestimate just how important that context cue is.
只需要坚持下去。当然，我们经常低估情境线索的重要性。
For instance, a 2012 study found that students who were in the habit of going to sports events at their school's stadium automatically talked louder when they were shown a picture of the stadium.
例如，2012年的一项研究发现，那些习惯在学校体育场观看体育赛事的学生，在看到体育场的照片时，说话的声音会自动变大。
The researchers reasoned that talking loudly in the stadium counted as a habit, and just seeing a picture of the place was enough of a cue to trigger it.
研究人员推断，在体育场大声喧哗算作一种习惯，仅仅看到它的照片就足以引发这种习惯。
In fact, context is so important that it can also be the key to breaking a bad habit. A time when your normal routine is disrupted is a great time for habit-breaking.
事实上，情境极其重要，它也是克服坏习惯的关键。当你的日常生活被打乱时，是一个改掉坏习惯的好时机。
If you move to a new apartment or start a new job, it's the perfect time to try to break that Starbucks habit -- especially if you aren't walking by it every day on the way to the office.
如果你搬到一个新公寓或开始一份新工作，这是改掉喝星巴克的最佳时机，尤其是如果每天上班路上不经过星巴克的话就更好了。
So what does the research tell us about making a habit? Decide which habit you want to incorporate into your daily life.
那么，关于养成习惯的研究告诉我们什么呢？决定你想把哪种习惯融入到日常生活之中。
Then, pick a thing or place or event that you encounter every day that you can tie that habit to -- and every time you encounter that context, do the thing.
然后，选择一件你每天都会遇到的事、地点或事件，可以将这个习惯与之联系起来，每当你遇到这种情境，就做这件事。
Some goal-setting advice out there might encourage you to vary your routine to keep it interesting, but with habits, you gotta keep it consistent -- because half of a habit is the cue!
一些设定目标的建议可能会令你改变日常生活方式，让它有趣好玩，但是对于习惯，就必须持续做，因为习惯一半是靠线索诱发！
With time and repetition, psych researchers tell us, it can become automatic. You just gotta have the motivation to stick to it, until you don't need motivation any more.
心理学研究人员告诉我们，随着时间的推移和不断重复，习惯会变成自动化行为。你只要有动力坚持下去，直到不再需要动力也能完成。
Thanks for watching this episode of SciShow Psych! If you want to get into the habit of learning new things and understanding how your mind works, you're in luck.
感谢收看这一集的科学心理秀！如果你想养成学习新事物的习惯，了解思维工作的方式，那你就走运了。
We post episodes on this channel Mondays and Thursdays on a nice, regular schedule. If you want to keep up with our videos, you can go to youtube.com/scishowpsych and subscribe.
我们每周一和周四定期在这个频道上发布新节目，如果你想收看我们的视频，可以登陆youtube.com/scishowpsych订阅。
