Add friction to the bad habit

Today's action · 3 min

Pick one habit you want less of and add one small barrier: log out of the app, put the snacks out of sight, or unplug the TV. Do it now, it takes two minutes.

Why it works

Rozin and colleagues found that making a food only slightly harder to reach, about 25 cm further away or served with a less handy utensil, cut intake by roughly 8 to 16 percent in a cafeteria. These were single-meal effects, but the lesson travels: a little friction quietly changes what we do.

Source: Nudge to nobesity I: Minor changes in accessibility decrease food intake (Rozin et al., 2011)