Do your New Year’s resolutions fall apart by February? What if the problem isn’t your willpower, but your approach to change itself?
In Stick With It, Sean Young offers a refreshing perspective. The UCLA psychologist’s research-backed method focuses on working with your brain’s natural tendencies rather than fighting against them. Young’s “SCIENCE framework” provides seven tools that make lasting transformation possible.
Read on to discover how matching the right strategies to your specific type of behavior can finally help you create changes that actually stick.
Overview of Sean Young’s Stick With It
Why do so many of our attempts at changing behaviors fail, despite our best intentions? In Stick With It, Sean Young presents a science-based framework that reshapes our understanding of lasting behavioral change. Rather than trying to transform yourself into someone else through sheer willpower—an approach that rarely works—Young argues that successful change comes from understanding and strategically applying seven psychological forces that drive human behavior.
As a psychologist and the executive director of the UCLA Center for Digital Behavior and the UC Institute for Prediction Technology, Young brings over 15 years of research to the challenge of making behavior change stick. Young argues that to make new behaviors permanent, you don’t need to change who you are as a person—you just need to change your process. His SCIENCE framework—Stepladders, Community, Important, Easy, Neurohacks, Captivating, and Engrained—distills insights from scientific studies into behavior-change strategies and provides a framework for anyone struggling with personal or professional change.
In this guide to Sean Young’s book Stick With It (first published in 2017), we’ll first examine three distinct behavior types that help explain why different changes require different approaches. Then we’ll explore each component of Young’s SCIENCE framework and how to apply it effectively to create lasting change in your life, with specific attention to matching the right strategies to each behavior type.
Why Different Behaviors Require Different Strategies: Know Your ABCs
Before diving into specific change strategies, you first need to understand what kind of behavior you’re trying to change. Young identifies three types of behaviors—what he calls the ABCs of behavior.
A: Automatic Behaviors: The Unconscious Habits
Automatic behaviors are actions we perform without thinking. These include unconscious habits like nail biting, interrupting people during conversations, slouching, or mindlessly checking email while walking. Young says that because we’re not aware we’re doing these things, automatic behaviors can be particularly challenging to change: You might only realize you’ve been engaging in a behavior after it’s already happened, like noticing your finger is bleeding because you’ve been chewing your nails without realizing it.
B: Burning Behaviors: The Compulsive Urges
Burning behaviors are driven by compulsive urges that feel almost irresistible. Young explains that even though you’re aware of these behaviors, you feel powerless to stop them—like indulging the urge to check your phone as soon as you hear a notification or playing “just one more round” of a video game that turns into hours. While these behaviors don’t always rise to the level where a psychologist would consider them addictions, burning behaviors share that feeling of being pulled toward an action by a powerful internal force.
C: Common Behaviors: The Conscious Choices
Common behaviors are conscious actions influenced primarily by motivation. Young explains that these represent the majority of the behaviors we try to change, such as exercising regularly, eating healthier, or being more productive. You’re fully aware of these behaviors and your choice to engage in them or not. You know what you should do (like going to the gym), but other priorities or preferences get in the way (like watching TV instead): You simply choose the easier or more immediately rewarding option.
How to Identify Your Behavior Type
Young says that understanding which behavior type you’re dealing with is crucial because different strategies are more effective for different behavior types. To determine which type of behavior you’re trying to change, ask yourself:
- Are you aware of the behavior as it’s happening? If not, it’s likely an automatic behavior.
- Do you feel an overwhelming urge that’s hard to resist? If yes, it’s probably a burning behavior.
- Are you making a conscious choice but struggling with motivation or competing priorities? If so, it’s likely a common behavior.
Once you’ve identified your behavior type, you can select the most effective strategies to create lasting change.
The SCIENCE of Behavior Change: Seven Strategies for Lasting Change
Now that we understand the three types of behaviors, let’s explore the seven strategies that Young says can help us create lasting change. Young has organized these strategies into an acronym—SCIENCE—to make them easier to remember and apply.
S: Break Down Big Goals Using Stepladders
The Stepladders strategy involves breaking down ambitious dreams into manageable goals and small daily steps. Young explains that this approach provides both psychological and practical benefits: Completing small steps gives you frequent “wins” that trigger the release of dopamine in your brain, building your confidence and motivation more effectively than fixating on distant dreams. It also makes significant changes less overwhelming by dividing complex skills into manageable chunks that you can master one at a time.
How to Use Stepladders
1) Define your dream with specificity. Rather than vaguely hoping to “get in shape,” specify exactly what that means, such as being able to complete a 5K race.
2) Create intermediate milestone goals. Establish concrete achievements within 1-3 months, like being able to jog continuously for 20 minutes.
3) Break goals into daily micro-steps. Identify small actions that build toward your goals, starting extremely small (like walking for five minutes today, and walking for six minutes tomorrow).
4) Get an outside perspective. Have someone check if your steps and timeline are realistic.
5) Celebrate and adjust. Acknowledge each achievement, then evaluate what worked and refine your approach for the next phase.
C: Build Support Through Community Connections
Communities drive lasting change by creating environments where desired behaviors are normalized, supported, and reinforced. Mutual support during a challenge goes a long way, but Young emphasizes that whether in-person or virtual, effective communities harness several powerful mechanisms: We’re susceptible to social influence, which means we naturally conform to behaviors around us. We also benefit from accountability, or a sense of responsibility to meet shared expectations. Plus, we see more realistic paths to our goals through role modeling when we see our peers succeed in making changes.
How to Use Community
1) Find relevant peer role models. Seek out people who share meaningful characteristics with you and demonstrate the behavior you’re trying to adopt.
2) Look for communities with accountability systems. The most effective groups have clear goals, regular interactions, visible success stories, and ways to celebrate progress.
3) If you’re building your own community, start with experienced individuals who can establish positive norms, then allow organic growth as members begin supporting newer participants.
I: Connect to What’s Important to You
The Importance strategy links desired behaviors to deeply meaningful personal values, making you more likely to persist despite obstacles. Young explains that when something genuinely matters to us, our emotional and rational decision-making systems activate, which helps us overcome short-term temptations in favor of taking actions that will bring long-term benefits.
How to Use Importance
1) Connect to core values. Young suggests linking behaviors to fundamental beliefs rather than superficial outcomes. A person who values environmental sustainability might frame reducing their meat consumption as living their values rather than just a diet choice.
2) Make consequences tangible. Focus on the specific improvements you want to make—like being able to play with your children or grandchildren without feeling winded—rather than vague ideas like “better health.” It can also help to consider not only what you’ll gain from changing, but what you’ll continue to lose by maintaining your status quo.
3) Find deeper meaning. Young says to look beyond your immediate goals to their broader impact. For instance, learning to manage your anger might help you model healthy emotional regulation for your children, breaking intergenerational patterns of conflict.
E: Make Behaviors Easy to Perform
The Ease strategy recognizes that we naturally follow the path of least resistance. Young shows that even small inconveniences can derail our efforts to make a change, but removing friction dramatically increases our follow-through. This strategy works with human nature rather than against it, making desired behaviors the simplest option available.
How to Use Ease
1) Design your environment. Young says to arrange your physical surroundings to support your goals. Place a water bottle on your desk to increase hydration, leave workout clothes by your bed to make morning exercise more accessible, or remove distracting apps from your phone’s home screen.
2) Reduce decision points. Preserve your mental energy by preparing in advance—like meal prepping ahead of time to make it easier to eat healthy food when you’re tired, or creating standard routines that eliminate daily decisions.
3) Create specific implementation plans. Transform vague intentions into concrete actions by detailing precisely when, where, and how you’ll perform the behavior. Instead of saying “I’ll exercise more,” decide that after finishing your morning coffee on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, you’ll immediately do a 15-minute strength routine.
4) Make initial steps ridiculously small. Reduce a new habit’s starting point to something so easy it feels almost silly to resist. For instance, instead of meditating for 30 minutes daily, start with just one minute. Young argues that this eliminates psychological resistance and that often, you’ll continue beyond your minimum goal once you’ve got the ball rolling.
N: Use Neurohacks to Rewire Your Brain
Neurohacks are psychological techniques that prompt your brain to reset and update how you see yourself by observing your own behavior. Young defines neurohacks as deliberate behaviors you engage in that cause your brain to reconsider and modify your self-identity. These strategic actions serve as mental shortcuts that can change your self-perception faster than traditional approaches.
Young challenges the conventional wisdom that you need to change your mindset before changing your behavior. Instead, he argues that the opposite is often more effective: Changing your behavior first can lead to changes in your self-perception. When you act in ways that contradict your current self-image, your brain experiences cognitive dissonance—the mental discomfort that occurs when holding contradictory beliefs or behaviors. To resolve this tension, your brain often updates your self-image rather than dismissing the behavior as an anomaly.
For example, if you’ve always seen yourself as “not a runner” but you volunteer to lead a charity 5K, the disconnect between your action (leading a running event) and your self-image creates discomfort. Your brain resolves this by updating your identity to incorporate this new behavior: “Maybe I am someone who runs after all.”
How to Use Neurohacks
Young identifies five distinct categories of neurohacks you can use to reshape your self-identity:
1) Behavior neurohacks: Act in ways that contradict your current self-perception, such as volunteering to teach a skill you’re trying to master, to force your brain to see you as someone who possesses that expertise.
2) Body movement neurohacks: Use physical postures to influence your mental state. Standing in a confident “power pose” before an interview can reduce anxiety and boost performance.
3) Physiology and emotion neurohacks: Alter your physical state to change emotional responses. Taking deep breaths when angry can interrupt the anger cycle and reset your emotional baseline.
4) Speech neurohacks: Use verbal declarations to reshape your self-concept. Introducing yourself as “someone who’s learning Spanish” at a language meetup strengthens your commitment to language learning.
5) Thought neurohacks: Disrupt established mental patterns to create space for new self-perceptions. Young argues that deliberately attempting a creative task in an unfamiliar environment can break habitual thinking and spark fresh perspectives.
C: Create Captivating Rewards That Motivate You
The Captivation strategy focuses on designing rewards that tap into what truly motivates you. Young explains that generic rewards provide only short-term motivation, but Captivating rewards connect to your fundamental psychological needs for autonomy (feeling in control), competence (feeling capable), and purpose (feeling that your actions matter). Because these rewards tap into what you find intrinsically motivating, they create a strong desire to repeat the associated behaviors.
How to Use Captivation
1) Identify your personal motivators: Reflect on what genuinely energizes you. Do you lose track of time when engaged in creative projects? Do you feel accomplished when mastering new skills? Do you enjoy sharing experiences with others?
2) Design rewards that match your needs: Young suggests that if you’re motivated by social connection, arrange to share your achievements with supportive friends. If you’re driven by mastery, create a visual record of your improving skills or increasing knowledge.
3) Create clear feedback loops: Make the connection between your actions and rewards immediate and obvious through tracking systems that provide a visual confirmation of your progress.
4) Incorporate variety and surprise: A fixed reward quickly loses its motivational power. Therefore, Young says you should introduce occasional unexpected bonuses or gradually increase your challenges to maintain your engagement over time.
E: Turn Behaviors Into Engrained Habits
The Engraining strategy transforms conscious behaviors into automatic habits through consistent repetition. Young explains that our brains are designed for efficiency, creating neural pathways for repeated behaviors that eventually require minimal conscious effort. This conserves mental energy and makes behaviors resistant to motivational ups and downs.
How to Use Engraining
1) Prioritize consistency over intensity. Performing an action daily, even briefly, creates stronger neural pathways than occasional longer sessions. Focus on establishing a regular rhythm before worrying about duration or intensity.
2) Use triggers and cues. Young suggests linking new behaviors to existing habits (like doing a quick stretch immediately after your morning coffee) or creating environmental cues (like leaving your journal on your pillow to prompt yourself to spend a few minutes reflecting at the end of each day).
3) Start small. Choose actions so simple you could perform them even on your most exhausted or busiest days, like meditating for just one minute or reading a single page of a book.
4) Be patient with the process. Young writes that habit formation typically takes anywhere from 18 to 254 days depending on the person and the behavior, with an average of about 66 days. During this period, the behavior will likely feel unnatural, but continued repetition gradually transforms it into something your brain executes automatically.
How to Pick the Right Strategy for the Behavior You Want to Change
Understanding which strategies work best for each behavior type is essential for effective change. By matching the right strategies to your specific behavior type, you dramatically increase your chances of making lasting change. Here’s how to match strategies to behaviors.
Automatic Behaviors
For automatic behaviors like nail-biting or interrupting others, Young recommends making the behavior difficult to perform (Ease) and establishing new automatic patterns (Engraining). Since you’re not aware of automatic behaviors as they happen, these strategies work best by preventing the behavior and creating alternative automatic responses, respectively. For example, with nail-biting, you might apply bitter-tasting nail polish to make the behavior less appealing while simultaneously creating a new default response by clasping your hands when you’re anxious.
Young notes that Neurohacks and Captivation serve as helpful secondary strategies by increasing your awareness of unconscious behaviors and providing rewards for noticing and redirecting them. For instance, if you habitually interrupt others, you might record your conversations to become aware of your patterns and reward yourself each time you catch yourself before interrupting.
Burning Behaviors
As with automatic behaviors, the primary strategies for burning behaviors are also Ease and Engraining. Young explains that making a compulsive behavior like smartphone checking harder to access while establishing alternative response patterns directly addresses the compelling urges that characterize burning behaviors. You might put your phone in another room while you work and take three deep breaths when you feel the urge to check it, giving your brain a new pathway to follow when the urge strikes.
Neurohacks and Captivation work well as secondary strategies by helping reshape your identity around resisting the urge and creating compelling alternatives to the burning behavior. For instance, you might take on the role of helping others reduce their own phone use (reinforcing your identity as someone who controls technology rather than is controlled by it) while developing a rewarding offline activity you genuinely enjoy as an alternative.
Common Behaviors
For common behaviors like regular exercise, Young argues that Community often serves as the most powerful primary strategy. Social support and accountability are particularly effective for motivational challenges, which are central to common behaviors. Joining a running group that meets three times weekly makes you more likely to show up consistently than if you were planning to run alone.
Young writes that all the other strategies—Stepladders, Importance, Ease, Captivation, and Engrainment—provide strong secondary support by addressing various aspects of the challenges common with these behaviors. For establishing a regular exercise habit, you might break your fitness goals into small steps, connect exercise to family health values, prepare workout clothes the night before, create a rewarding post-workout ritual, and exercise at the same time daily. Neurohacks, while still helpful for reinforcing identity as someone who engages in the desired behavior, tend to be less critical for common behaviors where awareness and motivation are the primary challenges rather than unconscious patterns.
