Are you suffering from a habit loop?
(The reason why I can't stop turning on the lights.)
Last week was a little crazy–the Pacific Northwest was hit by a bomb cyclone, and many of us lost power for multiple days.
One of my favorite things about living in Western Washington is being surrounded by evergreen trees… that is, until we get wind storms. It’s amazing how fragile 100-200 foot tall trees look when they’re swaying in the wind. Most of the time, you can’t help but be on edge, listening for the terrifying cracking sound of a tree falling near your house.
(A 50-80 foot tall tree hit my home when I was ten and landed a few feet away from where my mom was sleeping, so I’m understandably a little nervous.)
I was fortunate that we only lost power for two days and had plenty of headlamps, candles, and a gas-powered stove available. It felt a bit like indoor camping despite the cold!
But the Franklin Method Educator in me couldn’t help but notice that whenever I walked into a room, I flipped the light switch. Every single time.
How’s that for the power of unconscious habits?
It’s amazing how many behaviors are deeply ingrained through our neural pathways. I was reminded of it again while working with a student last week (thankfully, my studio building had power!) who is in the process of relearning to swing their arm to change string levels. We’ll do some Franklin Method release exercises and focus on moving the left arm deliberately in slow practice and simple exercises, but as soon as my student returns to their regular repertoire, the old patterns automatically take over.
The neuroscience underlying our learned behaviors is complex, but journalist Charles Duhigg simplifies it to a three-step process called a habit loop in his book, The Power of Habit.
Step one–we encounter a cue that triggers an action: for example, I walk into a dark room.
Step two–we perform the expected behavior or habit (the routine): I turn on the light switch.
Step three–there is some kind of reward for our behavior: I can see better and do whatever I need to do in that room.
And so my brain recognizes that turning on a light switch is an important and satisfying task to do whenever I’m in a dimly lit room. Thousands of repetitions later, I’m unconsciously turning on the light switch even though I know intellectually that the power is out.
In the case of my student, I think it’s more complex. Playing an instrument isn’t one habit loop; it’s a series of habit loops where each process can affect the next loop. Physiological issues like instrument ergonomics, muscle restrictions, foundational technique problems, and even difficult technical passages pose limitations on what the body can do when it encounters a cue like the melody changing from A string notes to D string notes. If we know that we need to change our arm level, the nervous system will take care of it regardless of the new physical parameters in place. The reward? It’s there and gone in a blink of an eye, but we made it to the new string. Melodic success!
If we don’t catch the underlying issue in time, it may become part of the routine whenever we run into that specific cue–in this instance, my student moving consistently from string to string without the arm changing to the appropriate position. That new habit might create a new physical parameter or challenge for another technique, and so it goes on and on.
It can feel overwhelming, but paradoxically, I also feel encouraged. If we view technique and movement issues as chains of habit loops, we can also replace them with new habits. (Let’s save the how for another day.)
In the meantime, give yourself some grace if you’re feeling frustrated by any of your current habits! They may be as ingrained as turning on a light switch while you’re wearing a headlamp and carrying a candle when the power is out.
For my Washington readers, I hope you all have your power back! Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.
If this is the first time we’re meeting virtually, hello! My name is Erika, and I’m a violinist, teacher, and certified Franklin Method Educator. My mission is to rethink traditional teaching approaches to help musicians play with confidence and ease. If this resonates with you, here’s how you can connect with me:
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