You're looking at Less Wrong's discussion board. This includes all posts, including those that haven't been promoted to the front page yet. For more information, see About Less Wrong.

Clarity comments on Open thread, Jan. 25 - Jan. 31, 2016 - Less Wrong Discussion

3 Post author: username2 25 January 2016 09:07PM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Article Navigation

Comments (169)

Comments (169)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: Brillyant 27 January 2016 05:48:46PM *  0 points [-]

I think it's certainly true. I suppose it depends on your definition of "habit"...

Isn't much of what we do habitual, whether it benefits us or not? In this way, you have either good habits or bad that are reciprocals of one another.

For example, people who refrain are not said to have a "habit of not biting their nails". But that is, I think, what is happening.

Comment author: 4hodmt 27 January 2016 06:35:48PM 0 points [-]

I stopped biting my nails (coating them in a bitter substance to remind myself not to bite them if I tried) and I did not make any replacement habit. I don't have a "habit of not biting my nails" any more than I have a habit of breathing. It happens automatically without conscious effort, so calling "not biting nails" a habit is misusing the word.

Comment author: Brillyant 27 January 2016 07:21:20PM 0 points [-]

This is why I mentioned the definition of "habit" in my comment.

I don't have a "habit of not biting my nails"... It happens automatically without conscious effort...

From Wikipedia:

"A habit (or wont) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur unconsciously."

Powered by Reddit Powered by Reddit