How to Break Up with Your Bad HabitsBreaking bad habits often feels like a test of willpower. We tell ourselves we’ll stop scrolling, eat better, or exercise more — and then fall right back into the same routines. So why is lasting change so hard?
As part of our spring cleaning series, we’re revisiting a powerful episode from The Happiness Lab archives that reveals a surprising truth about behavior change: it’s not about willpower at all. Dr. Laurie Santos sits down with psychologist Wendy Wood to explore what the science of habits really says about why we get stuck — and how we can finally change.
Along the way, we hear the remarkable story of American soldiers in Vietnam who abruptly overcame heroin addiction after returning home, offering a powerful clue about how habits really work. If you’re looking to break a bad habit or build a better one, this episode shows how small changes to your environment can make lasting change feel almost automatic.
Experts Mentioned:
Wendy Wood • , Provost Professor of Psychology and Business, University of Southern California.
Dr. Richard Ratner • , Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Resources Mentioned:
Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick • , by Wendy Wood (2019)
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How Do People Adhere to Goals When Willpower Is Low? The Profits (and Pitfalls) of Strong Habits • ,” by David T. Neal, Wendy Wood, and Aimee Drolet (
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology • , 2013)
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The Pull of the Past: When Do Habits Persist Despite Conflict with Motives? • ,” by David T. Neal, Wendy Wood, Mengju Wu, and David Kurlander (
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin • , 2011)
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Ironic Processes of Mental Control • ,” by Daniel M. Wegner (
Psychological Review • , 1994)
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How Permanent Was Vietnam Drug Addiction? • ,” by Lee N. Robins, Darlene H. Davis, and David N. Nurco (
American Journal of Public Health • , 1974)
CBS News Lottery Draft 1969 • (Archival Footage)
"G.I. Heroin Addiction Epidemic in Vietnam" • (
The New York Times • , 1971)
G.I. Junkie • (Documentary, 1971)
Related Episodes:
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A New Hope • "
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You Can Change • "
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Happiness Lessons of the Ancients: Sikhism and Daily Habits • "
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