To Change Habits, Try Replacement Instead
When training animals, particularly dogs, it&#x27;s (I think) pretty well-known that redirecting to positive behaviors is much more effective than punishing unwanted behaviors (so much so that one could say &quot;punishment does not work at all compared to redirecting to desired behaviors&quot; without much exaggeration). i.e. when a dog chews on a sofa cushion, put a dog chew in their mouth or direct them to go get their toy or chew or whatever. When they jump up on people, put them in a sit-stay, then you can praise them for doing a good thing. This is just a human, self-directed, version of that, I think.<p>I&#x27;m not saying people are like dogs, but...people are kinda like dogs.