From the Guidelines
Effective rewards in habit formation should be immediate, personally meaningful, and consistently delivered after the desired behavior, with a focus on intrinsic rewards such as feeling accomplished, proud, or energized, as they often prove more sustainable for long-term habit maintenance than extrinsic rewards. When designing a reward system, it's essential to consider the individual's motivations and values, as well as the potential for habituation, where the same reward loses its motivational power over time 1.
Some key considerations for effective rewards include:
- Timing: Rewards should occur immediately after completing the habit to strengthen the neural connection between the behavior and the positive feeling 1.
- Personal significance: Rewards should be genuinely satisfying to the individual, whether that's a small treat, a few minutes of relaxation, or positive self-talk 1.
- Consistency: Rewards should be consistently delivered after the desired behavior to create a positive feedback loop 1.
- Variety: Rewards should be varied occasionally to prevent habituation and keep the individual motivated 1.
- Intrinsic vs. extrinsic: Intrinsic rewards, such as feeling accomplished or proud, often prove more sustainable for long-term habit maintenance than extrinsic rewards, such as material items or treats, though both can be effective when starting out 1.
In terms of specific reward strategies, research suggests that:
- Contingency management, which involves providing rewards contingent upon specific behaviors, can be an effective approach for promoting habit formation 1.
- Motivational interviewing, which aims to enhance an individual's motivation to make behavioral changes, can also be a useful strategy for promoting habit formation 1.
- Tracking progress visually can create an additional reward system that shows consistency and achievement over time, providing a sense of accomplishment and motivation to continue the behavior 1.
From the Research
Effective Rewards in Habit Formation
The following are effective rewards in habit formation:
- Intrinsic motivation: Studies have shown that intrinsic motivation can aid habit formation by promoting a greater increase in habit strength per behavior repetition 2.
- Pleasure: Pleasure has been found to moderate the relationship between behavioral repetition and habit, suggesting that pleasurable activities can reinforce habits 2.
- Positive intrinsic rewards: Research has found that positive intrinsic rewards, such as enjoyment, are more strongly associated with physical activity habit strength and frequency than negative intrinsic rewards, such as stress reduction 3.
- Intrinsic valued behaviors: Habit-formation interventions may be most successful when target behaviors are intrinsically valued or pleasurable 2.
Characteristics of Effective Rewards
Effective rewards in habit formation have the following characteristics:
- Continued and intrinsic: Rewards for complex habits are necessarily continued and intrinsic, rather than temporary and extrinsic 4.
- Promote repetition: Rewards can promote behavioral repetition, which is essential for habit formation 2, 4.
- Enhance habit strength: Rewards can enhance habit strength by increasing the automaticity of behaviors 2, 3.
Applications of Reward-Based Habit Formation
Reward-based habit formation has various applications, including:
- Health behavior change: Habit formation interventions can be used to promote health behavior change, such as increasing physical activity or improving diet 2, 3.
- Mental health: Habit formation can be used to disrupt unwanted habits and develop desired habits in mental health treatments 5.
- Wellness lifestyle: Habit formation can be used to create and sustain a wellness lifestyle, including habits that promote physical and mental health 6.