21 days to recognition and 66 to an automatic response Folk law would have it that it takes a human being 21 days to develop a new habit. Recent research suggests that while this is a stretch – an automatic habit does develop within a 66-day period. It would seem that the 21-day myth arose […]

21 days to recognition and 66 to an automatic response Folk law would have it that it takes a human being 21 days to develop a new habit. Recent research suggests that while this is a stretch – an automatic habit does develop within a 66-day period. It would seem that the 21-day myth arose from a finding in research that it takes 21 days for a person to recognise themselves in the mirror after having a limb amputated. The 66-day time frame was identified as the time it takes for a new behaviour to become automatic, and it can take a whole lot longer (perhaps as much as 254 days) to form a completely new behaviour. Understanding what aspects of their changed behaviour (during the shutdown) consumers might recognise as ‘normal’ after 21 days, what behaviours have become automatic after 2 months and what new habits are on the…