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Habits are formed when the memory associates specific actions with specific places or moods,” said Dr. Wood, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke. “If you regularly eat chips while sitting on the couch, after a while, seeing the couch will automatically prompt you to reach for the Doritos. These associations are sometimes so strong that you have to replace the couch with a wooden chair for a diet to succeed.
Warning - Habits May Be Good for You - NYTimes.com
One association for me is between traveling to my corporate client, which I do about once a month, and eating and feeling depressed. When I travel to San Jose for my client, I often feel depressed because I am leaving home and will be gone for a whole week without friends working in office buildings and living from a hotel room. I cope with that by eating candy from my client’s food room, drinking soft drinks, retreating to my hotel room early, watching TV, all things I rarely if ever do at home. I have formed powerful habits of association with travel to this particular client. Yesterday, i was at 12,000 feet running in the mountains, and today I am depressed drinking Diet Coke. This article at least makes me conscious of what is happening so I don’t feel so overwhelmed.
