Hale and Hearty Policies: How Psychological Science Can Create and Maintain Healthy Habits

Alexander J. Rothman; Peter M. Gollwitzer; Adam M. Grant; David T. Neal; Paschal Sheeran; Wendy Wood

doi:10.1177/1745691615598515

Hale and Hearty Policies: How Psychological Science Can Create and Maintain Healthy Habits

Alexander J. Rothman, Peter M. Gollwitzer, Adam M. Grant, David T. Neal, Paschal Sheeran, Wendy Wood

Psychology (Twin Cities)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

73 Scopus citations

Abstract

Strategies are needed to ensure that the U.S. Government meets its goals for improving the health of the nation (e.g., Healthy People 2020). To date, progress toward these goals has been undermined by a set of discernible challenges: People lack sufficient motivation, they frequently fail to translate healthy intentions into action, their efforts are undermined by the persistence of prior unhealthy habits, and they have considerable difficulty maintaining new healthy patterns of behavior. Guided by advances in psychological science, we provide innovative, evidence-based policies that address each of these challenges and, if implemented, will enhance people’s ability to create and maintain healthy behavioral practices.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	701-705
Number of pages	5
Journal	Perspectives on Psychological Science
Volume	10
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691615598515
State	Published - Nov 1 2015

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Wendy Wood’s research on habits is currently supported by a grant from the Templeton Foundation: The Neuropsychology of Developing Good Habits (#52316), Wendy Wood PI, John Monterosso co-PI.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, The Author(s) 2015.

Keywords

habits
health behavior
intention
maintenance
policy

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10.1177/1745691615598515

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AU - Sheeran, Paschal

AU - Wood, Wendy

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Hale and Hearty Policies: How Psychological Science Can Create and Maintain Healthy Habits

Abstract

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Keywords

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