Whether it is about giving up any habit or forming a new habit, we often hear that it takes only 21 days. This was said by plastic surgeon Maxwell Maltz in 1960. Which now every person seems to be speaking.
Actually, according to Maxwell, whenever he performed any surgery, it took 21 days for changes to occur in his patients. In such a situation, the question arises that does it really take 21 days for us to adopt any habit? Let us find out today.
How long does it take to form a habit?
Last year i.e. in 2023, scientists from Chicago University and Pennsylvania University had challenged this 21 day concept. For this, he included data of more than 30,000 gym goers and more than 3,000 hospital employees. This analysis was done using machine learning tools.
In this research it was found that some habits take more time to form than others. For example, on average it can take more than six months to become a habit of working out. Sometimes a person does not get into the habit of working out even after months, whereas research has found that people working in hospitals take only a week to get into the habit of washing hands. Actually, according to the study, it depends on the habits as to how much time it takes to develop.
It is important to understand habits
How much time it takes for any habit to be included in your regular routine depends on the person and that habit. Sometimes simple habits take a lot of time to form, whereas many other habits are easily formed. A study conducted in 2009 found that it took 18 to 254 days for people to develop habits that were integral to their daily lives, including things like eating breakfast.
