Recently, I saw a study that captured my attention because it aimed to understand the extent to which participants could establish a habit of gratitude thinking before sleeping (Lo & Leung, 2020). The researchers defined gratitude as an inclination to appreciate and savor daily events and experiences. Here is what the researchers found.

We’ve all had quite a shock to our way of life this week. Long anticipated trips were cancelled, schools put on pause, being asked to work at home … the list goes on. We’re also being asked to change our daily habits in substantial ways. This is causing us to learn how to intentionally focus our attention on the present more than ever.

No matter how resolved we are at the beginning of the year, it’s highly likely that we’ll give up on our resolutions in just a few weeks. And, there’s a lot of science behind the reasons why. Before you throw up your hands and give up, let’s take a look at a proven approach to behavior change.

Behavior change is hard no matter how much we want to change. The reason for this is that much of our daily activity is based on our habits. Habits are slow to establish and change – and require a lot of self-control to stop or start these automatic behaviors. Based on the latest research in neuroscience and cognitive behavior, here’s what you need to know if you want to improve your chances of making behavior change that lasts.