Could too many habits be bad for our brains?
We are often told that developing good habits is key to leading a successful life. Many an article and book (remember cult classics such as The Power of Habit, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People or Tiny Habits?) has been written extolling the virtues of developing and maintaining a morning, afternoon, evening, daily, monthly  anything  habit, and we lap it up, eager to hack our way into a more productive and efficient existence. Yet living your life according to habits can come at the expense of creativity, some experts say, as doing something repeatedly wont necessarily increase the quality of what youre doing. Relying on habits too much means that you forgo a lot of that active thinking which can help the brain thrive and stay healthy over the long term. Credit:iStock  While much of the published advice on habits is sound and backed by good research, some experts fear we are reaching a point where all this focus on habits may not be so good for our brains. Habits in many cases, such as getting fit or committing to eating healthier, are a good thing; they are comforting, they can help us stress less and dont require a huge amount of focus, says Dr Steve Kassem, a senior postdoctoral fellow at Neuroscience Research Australia. But relying on them too much can actually make the brain stale.