The commonly held belief that it takes 21 days to form a habit is a little off. Well, actually, it’s way off. According to new research from the University of South Australia, forming healthy habits can take two months to a year to form. But don’t be discouraged; understanding how habit forming works can help you maintain life-long wellness habits.
“Adopting healthy habits is essential for long-term well-being, but forming these habits – and breaking unhealthy ones – can be challenging,” said Ben Singh, a researcher from the University of South Australia, in a press release.
Importance of Healthy Habits
Healthy habits, such as eating well, getting enough sleep, and daily exercise, can contribute to overall health. Unfortunately, in the hustle and bustle of modern life, it’s easy to sacrifice these habits. With these sacrifices come the risks of chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, and an increased chance of stroke.
Many of us want to re-start healthy habits at the beginning of the New Year, but find ourselves rather discouraged as we hit the 21-day mark and realize that these habits haven’t become as solidified as we had hoped.
“At the beginning of the year, many of us are setting goals and making plans for the months ahead – things like being more active, cutting back on sugar, or making healthier food choices – but while common wisdom suggests that it takes just 21 days to form such habits, these claims are not evidence-based,” Singh said in a press release.
Read More: The Science of Forming Healthy Habits
Forming Healthy Habits
In a first-of-its-kind study, the research team sifted through six different databases and pulled 20 different studies or questionnaires on self-reported habit forming. Overall, the research team looked at data from over 2,600 study participants whose ages ranged from around 21 years old to 73 years old. From the data, researchers noted that different factors played a part in how successful habit forming was.
“When trying to establish a new healthy habit, success can be influenced by a range of things, including how frequently we undertake the new activity, the timing of the practice, and whether we enjoy it or not,” Singh said in a press release. “If you add a new practice to your morning routine, the data shows that you’re more likely to achieve it. You’re also more likely to stick to a new habit if you enjoy it.”
The study examined several health habits, including physical activity — like daily stretching, increased water intake, vitamin consumption, flossing, and a healthy diet.
Some of the results showed that it took about 66 days to maintain healthy eating, drinking, and exercise habits, while daily morning stretches took about 106 days to achieve, and evening stretches took about 154 days.
“In our research, we’ve found that habit formation starts within around two months, but there is significant variability, with formation times ranging from four days to nearly a year,” said Singh in a press release. “So, it’s important for people who are hoping to make healthier habits not to give up at that mythical three-week mark.”
Maintaining Healthy Habits
With these findings, researchers hope they can provide more accurate information on healthy habit forming. From this, it may be easier for people to improve their health and reduce the risks of certain chronic illnesses.
With this knowledge and other habit-making strategies, it can be possible to keep New Year’s resolutions well past January.
“Planning and intending to complete a new behavior can also help solidify a new habit, so make sure you continue to make time to include your new healthy habits into your everyday activities. This could be as easy as laying out your gym clothes the night before a morning walk or having a healthy lunch ready to go in the fridge,” said Singh in a press release. “Tailoring habit-building strategies into our day and making plans on how we can achieve them will put you in a position for success.”
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
A graduate of UW-Whitewater, Monica Cull wrote for several organizations, including one that focused on bees and the natural world, before coming to Discover Magazine. Her current work also appears on her travel blog and Common State Magazine. Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who.
