Two Minds Blog

This blog has always included a technology component, including using sensor devices to measure the workings of the Intuitive mind ; using technology-based surveys to  predict exercise or diabetes self-management ; delivering tailored messages to support exercise or reduce fatigue ; using technology to support a social reinforcement approach to behavior change; changing electronic health record systems to adapt to clinicians' needs as they become more tired during the course of a shift; and using  biofeedback to support mindfulness. These technologies are also gaining momentum among researchers and technology developers nationally. In fall 2022 I had the chance to attend a Smart Health conference on technology and health that was jointly sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (which funds health care research) and the National Science Foundation (which funds basic science), which highlighted recent and ongoing work at the intersection of health care ...

It’s time again for New Year’s resolutions, which provide one of the greatest natural experiments in the world for those of us who study health behavior change. As I have probably noted here before, the average duration of a new behavior is between 1 and 6 months, so you can look for the early-January crowds in your gym to diminish right around Groundhog Day. This finding fits well with Prochaska’s stages of change model , which suggests that 3-6 months is the amount of time it takes to move from the action to the maintenance stage — i.e., for a new behavior to become a habit. After that transition, the new behavior is much more likely to “stick” for the long term. One method that many people use to get through this transitional time is to harness the power of streaks .  A streak can be defined as any behavior that is repeated (often daily) over a period of time, without interruption. The lack of interruption is crucial to this definition: The reason it’s useful to track a streak ...