ABSTRACT
Many of us engage in various behaviors we wish we didn’t: vices such as smoking or drinking too much, dangerous actions such as speeding, and so-called nervous habits of nail biting, hair pulling, and teeth grinding. These bad habits are seemingly automatic, pervasive, and beyond remediation. Why do we do these things? There are other behaviors we wish we did perform habitually: studying, exercising, and controlling our diets. Why are they so difficult to start and maintain?
