November 13, 2025
Most daily behaviours are driven by habits, rather than conscious decisions
A new study suggests that a significant majority of daily behaviours are driven by habit rather than conscious decision-making, raising important questions for organisations about how routines form and how workplace environments shape behaviour. The research, published in the journal Psychology & Health, was conducted by Amanda L. Rebar of the University of South Carolina alongside colleagues from the University of Surrey and Central Queensland University. The team sought to measure the extent to which people’s daily behaviours are initiated and carried out automatically, rather than deliberately, and how often those behaviours align with personal intentions.
The researchers recruited 105 adults in the UK and Australia. Over a one-week period, each participant received six prompts a day on their smartphone. At every prompt, they recorded what they were doing, whether the behaviour had been triggered automatically or intentionally, how automatic the behaviour felt as they performed it, and whether it matched their goals or intentions.
Responses were coded into broad activity categories, such as work or education, domestic or childcare tasks, eating and drinking, relaxing, commuting, exercise, hobbies and other forms of self-care.
Key findings
The data indicated that everyday life may be far more habitual than previously thought. The researchers found that:
- Around 65 percent of reported actions were habitually instigated, meaning the behaviour was triggered automatically rather than consciously chosen.
- Around 88 percent of behaviours were habitually executed, meaning the person performed the behaviour in an automatic rather than deliberate way.
- Around 76 percent of behaviours aligned with participants’ stated intentions or goals.
Demographic variables such as age, gender or marital status did not significantly influence how habitual people’s actions were. Habits, the authors note, appear to be a common mechanism across groups rather than a characteristic of particular demographics.
Exercise stood out as an exception. While people often initiated exercise automatically—suggesting the context or routine triggered them—they tended to perform the activity itself with more conscious engagement compared to other behaviours.
Implications for workplace routines
For organisations, the findings reinforce the idea that many employee behaviours occur without conscious thought. Commuting patterns, digital tool use, meeting routines, break habits and movement around the office may all be shaped far more by environmental cues than by deliberate decisions.
If most behaviours are initiated automatically, then workplace change initiatives that rely heavily on awareness, motivation or willpower may meet predictable resistance. Adjusting the environment, workflows and cues may be more effective. For example, placing collaboration tools in more prominent locations, adjusting default digital settings, or designing circulation routes that encourage movement can make certain behaviours easier to adopt automatically.
The fact that most habitual actions still aligned with people’s goals offers a constructive perspective. If workers intend to collaborate more, take breaks, or follow healthier routines, then designing environments that help embed consistent habits could help those intentions become part of daily practice. Habit formation might therefore be a useful design principle rather than an obstacle.
A more habitual society than previously thought
Earlier estimates suggested that roughly one-third to one-half of everyday behaviour was habitual. The new study’s higher figures stem from its method, which distinguishes between the automatic triggers of behaviour (instigation) and the automatic performance of a behaviour (execution). Many earlier studies relied on broad measures of frequency or consistency rather than assessing behaviour in the moment.
The research supports the view that much of human behaviour operates on what the authors describe as “autopilot,” with people often acting without stopping to consciously decide what to do or how to do it.
Limitations and cautions
As with any study, there are limitations. The sample was relatively small and drawn from two countries, so caution is needed when applying the findings to broader populations. The week-long period captures behaviours within a short window rather than longer-term patterns, and although moment-to-moment self-reporting is more accurate than retrospective recall, it still depends on participants’ ability to discern how automatic their actions were.
In organisational contexts, habitual patterns can vary significantly across roles, sectors and cultures. A behaviour that is routinely automatic for one team may be unfamiliar or highly deliberate for another. Periods of transition—such as the adoption of hybrid working, relocation to new offices or reconfiguration of teams—can also disrupt existing cues, breaking some habits and creating opportunities for new ones.
Take-aways for workplace leaders
The prominence of habit in daily behaviour has practical implications for leaders, workplace designers and facility managers. Some considerations include:
- When introducing change, focus on modifying the cues and contexts that drive behaviour. Habits follow environments more readily than abstract intentions.
- When encouraging desirable behaviours, build in routine triggers or default options that help anchor a new pattern.
- For complex or cognitively demanding work, recognise that habits may play a smaller role and more deliberate support may be needed.
- When aiming to reduce undesirable routines—such as prolonged sitting, excessive notifications or inefficient digital workflows—consider adding friction or removing cues rather than relying solely on awareness campaigns.
- During major organisational transitions, take advantage of the natural break in routines to embed healthier or more productive behaviours before old patterns re-establish themselves.
The study suggests that everyday life is governed largely by habit, with two-thirds of behaviours triggered automatically and nearly nine in ten executed without much conscious thought. For workplaces, this means that environments, cues and default settings may have more influence over behaviour than direct instruction or persuasion. By understanding and shaping the contexts in which habits form, organisations may be better positioned to support wellbeing, productivity and more effective routines.
