Does it really take 66 days to form a habit? We asked the expert, Dr Pippa Lally
In 2010, Dr Pippa Lally, with colleagues at UCL, published a study that found the average time to form a habit was 66 days. It was a groundbreaking finding that challenged the long-held view that it takes only 21 days to form a habit.
Now, 15 years later, Pippa is leading the Health Psychology MSc at the University of Surrey, and we asked her about that study and the research she’s done since.
Pippa, your 2010 study attracted a lot of attention. What was that like?
It’s always great when people are interested in your research. However, it is sometimes frustrating when a finding, for example the statement that ‘it takes 66 days to form a habit’, is taken out of context.
Does it really take 66 days to form a habit?
No. I mean for someone somewhere for one habit yes, but for most people most of the time, no. The average time it took for the participants in my study to form a daily habit was 66 days. However, the range was 18 to 254 days. Therefore, what we really showed was that how long habit formation takes is highly variable.
You collaborated with Professor Benjamin Gardner on some research last year into ‘pop psychology’ myths about habits. Can you tell us a bit more about that?
Professor Gardner and I completed our PhDs at a similar time and were both focusing on habits. We soon developed a great habit of drinking a lot of tea and discussing habit theory. This has led to various papers over the years and we are now delighted to be leading the Habit Application and Theory Research group here at Surrey. Although we still love having a cup of tea and debating habits, and although we still believe interventions built in habit theory can be important for promoting behaviour change, it is important to not take things too far, and to understand the limitations of how habits can help. This was the motivation behind our recent paper which sets out how we create and break habits in a way that helps researchers and others apply this theory in their work.
As an expert in this subject, do you find it easy to apply your findings in your own life?
A key insight in behavioural science is that knowledge alone does not lead to behaviour change. I’m a busy academic with three children at home and the pressures that come with that mean that there are plenty of things I wish I was better at. I do, however, apply insights where I can. For example, we know that if you make a clear plan of when and where you will do something you are more likely to do it than if you have a vague intention. My children are therefore all very good at making a specific plan and repeating it three times if they want to ensure they do something in the future.
What are you researching currently?
I currently have a British Academy small grant to develop a new methodology in our virtual reality lab to study habits.
You can find out more about Pippa’s work in this space on Surrey’s Psychology Today blog.