Back in the 1980s, / some researchers / wanted to/ convince people / in a four-story office building / to start using the stairs. // So / they started / just the way / all of us would— // they started / trying to convince people. // They put up signs: / "It's good to take the stairs." / "It's good for your health." / "It's bad to take the elevator. / Wastes energy!” // But / the signs had no effect. // So, / these very creative researchers / decided, / "Okay, / let's try something different." // They slowed / the closing / of the elevator door / by 16 seconds. // And that / was enough / to dissuade people. // They reduced / the elevator use / by a third. // And the wonderful thing about the study is, / when they put / the elevator door back / to its original speed, / people kept taking the stairs / because / they had formed a habit / to take the stairs, / and they just stuck with it. // And it's an example of what / psychologists have called 'Friction'- // barriers / to performing a behavior. // Distance, / time, / and effort / are all friction. //Friction / is really important / in determining / what behaviors we repeat, / and so what behaviors / become a habit. // We think / we go to the gym / because / we're concerned about fitness, / we're determined, / we exert willpower. // So it feels like / that's a good way / to start / to change our habits, / right? // Exert self-control, / and / our habits / will then / change. // But it doesn't work that way. // Our habits are stored / in a memory system / that we don't have access to, / we can't fuss with. // It's a way of / securing / the most important information, / and protecting it / from change. // And so, / there's no way / you can change / that habit memory / except / through / repetition of / other behaviors. // We // repeat a behavior / in a given context / in the same way, / and we get / some reward. // When we get a reward, / our brain releases dopamine. // Rewards / get us / to repeat behaviors / and form / habits. //