WHYY: How to Make Good Habits Stick

From WHYY: Most people have the best of intentions to exercise regularly, eat right, and finish work or that home project on time. But our gym membership or home exercise equipment often sits idle and we enjoy too many donuts, burgers and fries. A new study in the journal Nature, however, offers some hope to getting people motivated. Looking at over 60,000 participants, researchers found that paying people – just pennies — to workout turned out to be a powerful incentive. This hour, we talk with one of the lead authors, University of Pennsylvania Wharton School’s KATY MILKMAN, about the study’s findings and how the lessons can be applied to our own lives, so we make habits that stick. Milkman is an expert on behavior change and the author of the recent book, How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to where You Want to Be. Read the full story in WHYY.