The Habit Loop: Why Your Brain Loves Repetition
Every habit runs on the same four-part circuit. Once you can see cue, craving, response, and reward at work, you can start rewriting any of them.
Read the essayPsychology & behavior, examined plainly
We repeat what we don't examine.
Humans Bad Habits is a reader-supported publication about why people do the things they know are bad for them — and what actually changes that. No hacks, no shame, just the research and the reasoning.
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Neuroscience
Why your brain loves repetition
Relationships
The habits couples don't notice
Focus
Attention residue
About the publication
Understanding yourself is more useful than optimizing yourself.
Humans Bad Habits started as a simple question: why do smart, capable people keep doing things they know don't serve them? The answer is rarely a lack of willpower. It's usually a mismatch between old wiring and a new environment.
We write about the psychology behind procrastination, doomscrolling, emotional eating, avoidance, and burnout — alongside the research on decision-making, relationships, and health that actually explains behavior change. Every piece is written to be read once and remembered, not skimmed and forgotten.
Evidence-based
Grounded in behavioral science, not internet folklore.
Written plainly
No jargon walls. Complex ideas, ordinary language.
Practical
Every essay ends somewhere you can act on.
Independent
Reader-supported, with editorial standards sponsors don't touch.
Featured articles
Start with these three.
A cross-section of the publication — the brain science of habit, the pull of your phone, and why willpower keeps failing you.
Doomscrolling and the Psychology of Almost-Rewards
Your feed isn't designed to satisfy you — it's designed to almost satisfy you. Here's the behavioral mechanism behind the scroll you can't stop.
Read the essayWhy Willpower Isn't the Answer (And What Is)
Willpower is a finite, unreliable resource — and treating it as your main defense is why most resolutions fail by February. Design your environment instead.
Read the essayWhat readers say
Read by people who wanted to understand themselves better.
I've read a lot of self-help content that just repeats the same advice. This is the first publication that explained the mechanism behind my habits instead of just telling me to "try harder."
The habit loop piece actually changed how I plan my mornings. Calm, well-argued writing — no clickbait, no 10-step listicles. Just genuinely useful thinking.
I recommend this to every client who says they "just lack discipline." It reframes the whole conversation around environment and cues instead of blame.
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