MYTH: "Emotions Create Habits."

SCIENCE: Seems the "power of positive thinking", while refuted by the scientific community for decades, just won't die. 

MYTH: "Grit, willpower, and having a 'growth mindset' create habits."

SCIENCE: Sorry, yet again, each of these pop psychology fads has been refuted by the scientific community. Add to this list "power posing" too! 

MYTH: "The 'habit loop' (cue, routine, reward) is all you need to create habits."

SCIENCE: This concept was popularized in Duhigg's The Power of Habit, but is based on now decades-old laboratory studies of rats, not real-world studies of humans. The reality is that it's much more complex than that in the real world. As Yogi Berra once said, "In theory, there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is!"

MYTH: "Habits are the enemy of mindfulness."

SCIENCE: Unless you're a Buddhist monk, it's neurologically impossible to be fully conscious of your behaviors all the time, that's not how our brains work. Habits are not inherently good or bad, but are actually necessary to master any routine, even mindfulness. The key is to master the force of habit versus letting it master you!

MYTH: "You can call yourself a 'psychologist' (without a degree) and lead a 'lab' but never publish your research data in a reputable peer-review journal."

SCIENCE: Sadly, this one is actually TRUE! Beware the hallmarks of pop psychology gurus & quack behavior "scientists": they fail to publish their own replicable results, cite related work, or even apply the scientific method, relying on simplistic rhetorical concepts & "thought experiments" that crumble upon the simplest scientific scrutiny.

MYTH: "One tiny babystep is all that is necessary; your habit will just naturally grow by itself."

SCIENCE: Sorry, Charlie, but scientific research refutes that flossing just one tooth just naturally grows by itself into flossing your whole mouth, for example. Beware of such simplistic snake oil.

MYTH: "Buy my self-help book, but you should also pay to get coached by one of my certified trainers."

SCIENCE: Before considering such a proposition, ask a simple question: "If your $9 Kindle book is so definitive and effective, why do I need to pay for additional coaching from a 'certified trainer'?" Learning any complex discipline like habits requires real-time, corrective instruction from a teacher, not a book.

MYTH: "Creating habits is stressful, and I'm stressed out!"

SCIENCE: We are neurologically predisposed to form habits because they LOWER our stress, that's why your brain naturally gravitates to them! Our clinically proven method shows how you can master this force of habit in just 1 minute a day. You can handle that right? You got this! ✊🏻

MYTH: "New habits simply require you to associate them with your self-identity."

SCIENCE: Which came first, the identity or the habit? Research proves that habitual behavior drives changes in self-identity, not the opposite: As the founder of American Psychology, William James said, "I don't sing because I'm happy, I'm happy because I sing"!