C-Hub Spotlight, Issue 10, January 2024

 

Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

From “The Summer Day,” by Mary Oliver

Featured Topic: Fresh Starts in Behavior Change

With each new year, moments of reflection and inspiration prompt people to make changes in their lives. Common individual commitments focus on healthier habits with food, exercise, and sleep, developing a skill or personal growth, improving finances, self-care, and connecting more with loved ones. In professional environments, teams may revisit goals and priorities, commit to professional growth, renew motivation for stalled projects, or consider different ways of operating. Research shows that changing behavior is difficult to sustain over time (Godefroid et al., 2022), though evidence points to factors that increase the likelihood of shifting the choices and actions you take.

What is the evidence?

Our brains automate familiar everyday behaviors to lessen the cognitive load, freeing the brain’s attention for other tasks (Lally & Gardner, 2013; Ersche et al., 2017). Conversely, an activity that differs from your typical routine requires more conscious effort (ibid), which can make adopting a new behavior more challenging than continuing the status quo (Godefroid et al., 2022). Some evidence suggests that behavior change is more likely when framed as what you are going to do, rather than what you hope to avoid doing (Oscarsson et al., 2020). While examples exist of individuals succeeding with avoidance-oriented goals (for example, minimizing excess snacking during the workday or avoiding toxic conversations), having an alternative desired activity to replace the avoided behavior can help with behavior change (Wood & Neal, 2016).

Human motivation for behavior change can be induced by the idea of a “fresh start” (Dai et al., 2014), like committing to a New Year’s resolution or starting a goal on a meaningful day, like a birthday, the first day of the week or month, or a new fiscal year. Motivation, along with the capability to change and the opportunity to change, comprise the primary ingredients for behavior change (Michie et al., 2011).

Systems that make desired behaviors easier (such as setting up recurring meetings with accountability partners to take breaks from work) promote behavior change through “choice architecture” that influences how people make decisions (Thaler, 2018). You can also implement barriers to help reduce undesired behaviors (e.g. deleting social media apps from your phone if you tend to be easily distracted by them). Other structured approaches to behavior change include establishing restrictions [such as evenly spaced due dates to overcome procrastination (Ariely & Wertenbroch, 2002)], making a formal commitment to the behavior change (Ashraf et al., 2005; Giné et al., 2010), or even enacting self-imposed penalties if you fail to implement the behavior (John, 2016).

Regardless of the change you hope to make, having a clear goal, feeling ready to change, and knowing why the goal matters will increase the likelihood of making lasting change (Norcross et al., 1989).

What can you do?

Set up for success

  • If you hope to make a change at work, in your habits, or in your personal life, choose an upcoming date when you can make your “fresh start.”
  • Limit the number of changes you are trying to make at a time.
  • Choose a specific goal that motivates you – genuine motivation will help you overcome the desire to fall back on old habits, and specificity of what you want to accomplish will help you measure progress.
  • Break down the goal into smaller, manageable goals to sustain your motivation.
  • Set up structures to support the behavior change you desire.
  • For individuals, this might look like setting up calendar reminders or dedicating specific blocks of time if you are taking on a new activity, treating that time with the same seriousness as an important meeting.
  • For teams, this might include incorporating feedback processes to gather data on what is working and setting future dates for checking on progress and adjusting accordingly.

Execution and support

  • For team leaders: have a conversation about why the goal matters to increase team investment.
  • Enlist people who support you for regular encouragement and accountability.
  • Focus on what progress you make and what lessons you learn if you experience setbacks.
  • Give yourself backup options and the flexibility to still meet the spirit of your goal without being too rigid.
  • Be kind to yourself. Change is difficult, and no one is perfect.

Sign up for coaching or a consultation with C-Hub if you are hoping to implement a change for your team or in your own professional growth.

Upcoming C-Hub Events and Announcements:

  • Academic Job Market Workshop Series---Module 6: Job Search Process. Wednesday, January 31, 2024, 16:15pm-17:30pm in Lab 4, Floor F, Room 01. The workshop will explore the process of searching for academic jobs, everything from looking for jobs in journal ads to informational interviews and networking. As always, there will be hands-on and reflective aspects to the session. Don’t miss this last module in the series! If you would like to attend this workshop, please register for the Academic Job Market Workshop Series here by Monday, January 29, 2024.
  • OIST Inclusive Communication Symposium Registration: by January 31, 2024. The OIST Inclusive Communication Symposium will occur March 7-8, 2024 at OIST. Our 2024 theme, Inclusive Communication, creates a forum for considering the ways in which organizations and individuals can center equity and inclusion to enable maximally effective communication structures and practices to ultimately foster engagement, creativity, and wellbeing. Only a few seats are left, so we encourage you to register as soon as possible. Registration closes January 31, 2024.
  • Workshop: Effective, Fabulous Poster Presentations. Thursday, February 8, 12:00 pm-13:00 pm, Virtual - Zoom. Come learn how to communicate your impactful ideas visually and engage audiences with poster presentations, an important skill set not only for scientists but for all presenters! Feel free to bring a poster idea or an informal abstract of a topic you plan to present in the future. This workshop will particularly benefit those presenting at the 2024 Symposium on “Inclusive Communication.” Facilitated by C-Hub director Kathy Takayama. Register here; Zoom link will be provided after registration.
  • Submit a nomination for the Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Award by February 14, 2024. The Excellence in Mentoring Award recognizes the paramount role that inclusive mentoring plays in the professional development and career advancement of OIST students, postdoctoral scholars, and research staff, and the lifelong impact of excellent mentors. The award honors Faculty members’ demonstrable commitment to engender effective mentoring relationships and their ongoing efforts to cultivate productive, inclusive research environments. Nominate a faculty member by February 14, 2024.

Other OIST Events:

  • BOG/BOC Special Talk - Capitalism that Works: Japan’s Economic Realities, Potential and Challenges. Friday, January 26, 2024, 15:00-17:00. Center Building, Level B, Room 250. Hosted by the Graduate School. Japan has got what it takes to be an economic superpower and role model. Learn where exactly the opportunities are; how you can engage and profit from Japan’s new structural up-cycle; why there is more to sustainable prosperity than innovation and profit; what forces could derail it; and why Japan’s demographic destiny is an overarching positive force for next-generation leaders, citizens, and the rising Asian middle class. Register here.
  • Polyvagal Theory with Dr. Theresa Hanaoka. Wednesday-Friday, February 7-9, 2024. Hosted by Ganjuu Wellbeing Service. Ganjuu Wellbeing Service is excited to be hosting Dr. Theresa Hanaoka for a 3-day workshop on the applications of Polyvagal Theory, which underscores the vital role of the autonomic nervous system in health, wellbeing, and behavior. See here for flyer in English and in Japanese. Register here.
  • Polyvagal Informed Leadership: Learn how Polyvagal principles can help manage stress in organizations and foster a resilient, inclusive workplace culture. February 7, 9:00-12:00 in English; 13:30-16:30 in Japanese; Center Building, Level B, Room 250.
  • Polyvagal and Neurodiversity: Explore the connection between the nervous system, social engagement, and neurodivergence. February 8, 9:00-12:00, in English with Japanese translation; Center Building, Level C, Room 209.
  • Understanding and Managing Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Develop insights into your mental and physical responses to stress and learn effective strategies for building resilience and emotional wellbeing. February 8, 13:30-16:30, English with Japanese translation; Center Building, Level C, Room 209.
  • Polyvagal and Psychosomatic Conditions. Understand how the nervous system expresses stress through physical symptoms such as migraines, chronic pain, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). February 9, 9:00-10:30, English with Japanese translation; Center Building, Level C, Room 209.

C-Hub Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Updates:

  • We offered a session for CDC teachers’ professional development half-day in December with a film screening and discussion on early childhood anti-bias education
  • We held consultations with different individuals and groups on fostering a more inclusive campus climate
  • If you or your team would like assistance with topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, please submit a request through ServiceNow.

References and Further Reading:

Ariely, D., & Wertenbroch, K. (2002). Procrastination, Deadlines, and Performance: Self-Control by Precommitment. Psychological Science, 13(3), 219–224. JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40063710?seq=6

Ashraf, N., Karlan, D. S., and Yin, W. Tying Odysseus to the Mast: Evidence from a Commitment Savings Product in the Philippines (July 2005). Yale University Economic Growth Center Discussion Paper No. 917, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=770387

Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Riis, J. (2014). The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal Landmarks Motivate Aspirational Behavior. Management Science, 60(10), 2563-2582. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1901

Ersche, K. D., Lim, T. V., Ward, Robbins, T. W., & Štochl, J. (2017). Creature of Habit: A self-report measure of habitual routines and automatic tendencies in everyday life. Personality and Individual Differences, 116, 73–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.04.024

Giné, X., Karlan, D., & Zinman, J. (2010). Put Your Money Where Your Butt Is: A Commitment Contract for Smoking Cessation. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2(4), 213–235. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.2.4.213

Godefroid, M., Ralf Plattfaut, & Björn Niehaves. (2022). How to measure the status quo bias? A review of current literature. Management Review Quarterly, 73(4), 1667–1711. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-022-00283-8

John, L. K. (2016, April 7). The Key to Keeping Resolutions? Betting Against Yourself (B. Kenny, Interviewer) [Interview]. In HBS Working Knowledge. Harvard Business School. https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/the-key-to-keeping-resolutions-betting-against-yourself

Lally, P., & Gardner, B. (2013). Promoting habit formation. Health Psychology Review, 7(sup1), S137–S158. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2011.603640

Michie, S., Stralen, van, & West, R. (2011). The behaviour change wheel: A new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implementation Science, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-6-42

Norcross, J. C., Ratzin, A. C., & Payne, D. F. (1989). Ringing in the new year: The change processes and reported outcomes of resolutions. Addictive Behaviors, 14(2), 205–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/0306-4603(89)90050-6

Oliver, M. (1992). New and Selected Poems (Vol. 1). Beacon Press.

Oscarsson, M., Per Carlbring, Andersson, G., & Rozental, A. (2020). A large-scale experiment on New Year’s resolutions: Approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals. PLOS ONE, 15(12), e0234097–e0234097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234097

Thaler, R. H. (2018). From Cashews to Nudges: The Evolution of Behavioral Economics. American Economic Review, 108(6), 1265–1287. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.108.6.1265

Wood, W., & Neal, D. (2016). Healthy through habit: Interventions for initiating & maintaining health behavior change. Behavioral Science & Policy, 2, 71–83. https://dornsife.usc.edu/wendy-wood/wp-content/uploads/sites/183/2023/10/Wood.Neal_.2016.pdf