he habit loop: how do people become 'addicted' to your product?

[jrineakter]

Lately I find myself regularly (almost obsessively) picking up my phone, checking my email and opening LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. Just to see if there is any news, why?! There is no real reason, but I still feel the urge. An urge that is only satisfied by 'just' looking. Recent research has come up with a term for this phenomenon: 'the habit loop'. Neuroscientists and psychologists have conducted various studies into the patterns of people over the past 15 years. These studies have revealed a number of interesting facts that the new generation is particularly sensitive to.


Why is a 'habit' useful?
Nowadays, people are exposed to more stimuli than ever before, with the result that they become saturated. For this reason, it is increasingly difficult to attract and retain the attention of a target group. While the target group is almost bombarded with commercials, advertisements, blogs and vlogs, the supply is only increasing.

We first make our habits, then our habits make us. – John Dryden

Another consequence of this is denmark telegram number list that consumers are also becoming less loyal to your brand. Why stay with you if ten others offer the same? In short: how do you ensure as a brand that it does not remain a one-time thing? The answer: 'habit'. Before I explain how to create a 'habit', let's first look at how people develop a 'habit'. Where does the development of one start?

Automatic behavior
Do you know that feeling when you lock the door half asleep in the morning, you are actually already too late, but suddenly you get the feeling: 'did I turn off the lights?' To be sure, you stand there, somewhat grumpy, fiddling with the lock again, only to find out that you did turn them off. Of course... sigh. But where does that feeling come from? And why can we sometimes just not remember these kinds of simple things?

Repetitive events are automatically made less important, because the brain relegates them to the primitive parts of your brain, also called the ' basal ganglia '. By doing this, your brain creates space in the ' cortex cerebri ', so that important things take priority. For example: 'how do I get to work faster/more efficiently?' or 'what is the point of life?' The brain attaches more value to these than to the 'insignificant' things that are considered automatic.

addicted_2

The image above shows where the 'basal ganglia' is located in our brain. A 'habit' (automatism) actually ensures that we have enough space to prioritize important things and therefore live efficiently. To compare this: think of a computer. When the working memory of your computer is full, it often becomes slow or (much to your annoyance) does nothing at all. By closing programs, more space is freed up so that you can continue working. The basal ganglia does the same. It ensures that certain programs are closed so that you have enough working space in your brain.