Willpower isn’t the answer to bad habits. Neuroscientist Dr. Jud Brewer shows what actually changes behavior (and it’s simpler than you think). Dr. Judson Brewer is a psychiatrist + neuroscientist and Director of Research & Innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center. Subscribe for more long-form interviews on science, self-improvement, and human behavior.

Expect to Learn:

Why willpower fails under stress (and why the prefrontal cortex is a fragile “control” strategy). How habits are shaped by reward learning and why awareness is the real “lever” for change. How to use mindful attention to make cravings feel less rewarding (+ the smoking example that surprises almost everyone).

The habit loop framework: trigger → behavior → result (and why “triggers” are often the least important part). What the default mode network  ...