up:: [[Habits MOC - Gather]]

# The neural formation of habits is additive - v1
I attended a presentation of "Portraits of the Mind" by Carl Schoonover. He showed pictures of how dendrites grow spines for better connections to synapses. Carl showed a video of neural networks forming. Now more than ever, we are starting to witness the neural formation of habits.

**My Thoughts**
A habit is a mirror, it gives what you give it, and what you were given is what you'll give. It's the immediate expression of the law of [[Cause and Effect]]

Change your mind to change your brain to change your mind. Reminds of a tautological [[Feedback Loop]].

Just like Newton's Law of Conservation states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction; so with habits are that for every action, taking the same action again will require less effort. Neural connections were made and repeated actions optimize them. They become more efficient. 

**"Neurons that fire together wire together”** - Hebb's Rule

**"Passing mental states become lasting neural traits”** - maybe Rick Hanson

We can only surmise as to why, but to me it has clear evolutionary advantages. Any action we take burns calories and uses either our physical muscles, our mental muscles (like the anterior cingulate cortex, which is a crucial player in willpower management), or both. By making a repeated action easier, less energy is used, less willpower is required, and fewer calories are burned—all of which lead to a better chance of survival. 

See also: [[The truest habit metaphors are additive - v1]]