Neuroplasticity involves changes in the connections between neurons, which are essential for forming new habits.

The key to habit formation is not just the specific habits themselves, but developing the habit of performing habits consistently over time.

The process of breaking habits can be enhanced by inserting a positive behavior immediately after the execution of the bad habit, creating a new sequence of neural activation that weakens the old habit.

Many habits can undermine our health and life goals, so it's important to understand how to form and break them effectively.

Breaking habits involves engaging in long-term depression of the neural pathways associated with the unwanted behavior, which can be achieved by consciously recognizing the moment after executing the bad habit and replacing it with a positive behavior.

To effectively break a bad habit, immediately after executing it, engage in a different positive behavior to create a new neural association and disrupt the reflexive nature of the bad habit.

To effectively form habits, consider not just the execution of the habit but also the events that precede and follow it, creating a context for dopamine association, and visualize the entire sequence of steps involved, from preparation to completion, while positively anticipating the benefits that follow.

The idea that being very specific about when to perform a habit increases the likelihood of doing it is true in the short term, but not in the long term; our nervous system generates behavior based on our state, not just time.

The dorsolateral striatum is crucial for habit formation, as it activates at the beginning and end of a habit, marking its execution.