Lecture on Mindfulness and Habit Formation

Introduction

• Meditation instructions often involve paying attention to the breath.
• Many find mindfulness practice challenging and exhausting.
• Attention is difficult due to an evolutionarily-conserved learning process.

The Challenge of Paying Attention

• Studies show we often lose focus, e.g., daydreaming or checking social media.
• We battle a fundamental learning process: positive and negative reinforcement.

Reward-Based Learning Process

• Functions with a trigger, behavior, and reward.
• Example: Eating leads to feeling good, forming a habit (e.g., "see food, eat food, feel good, repeat").
• Emotional triggers can lead to similar behaviors (e.g., stress leads to smoking).

Habits and Health

• Habits like smoking and overeating can be harmful despite their origination in survival processes.
• Cognitive control is ineffective under stress as the prefrontal cortex goes offline.

Mindfulness as an Approach to Breaking Habits

• Mindfulness involves curiosity about the present experience rather than forced attention.
• Example: Mindful smoking leads to a realization of the negative qualities of smoking ("tastes like chemicals").
• Transition from cognitive knowledge to visceral wisdom.

The Role of the Prefrontal Cortex

• The prefrontal cortex understands harmful habits intellectually but struggles under stress.
• Mindfulness helps in disengaging from habit loops by disenchanted awareness.

Mindfulness and Behavior Change

• Mindfulness encourages understanding of cravings and their transient nature.
• Curiosity is rewarding and can help disengage from reactive patterns.
• Mindfulness training has been shown to be effective in studies (e.g., smoking cessation).

Neuroscience of Mindfulness

• Involves the default mode network and posterior cingulate cortex.
• Mindfulness quiets brain activity related to being "caught up" in cravings.

Application of Mindfulness via Technology

• Developing apps to provide mindfulness tools at pivotal moments.
• Aim to help people become aware of urges and respond differently.

Practical Applications

• Use curiosity to break habitual responses in everyday situations, e.g., compulsive texting.
• Encourage stepping out of habit loops through awareness and curiosity.