In Case You Haven't Heard…

Abstract

Bad habits are notoriously hard to break. Ask any dieter, smoker or shopping addict why they continue to engage in a behavior they know is not good for them and they'll likely respond with a shrug and a look of utter helplessness, according to a June 29 news release from PsychTests AIM Inc. The problem is that whatever pleasure or comfort giving in to the habit may bring, it is short‐lived. Moreover, according to research from PsychTests.com, people who engage in such compulsive behaviors are more likely to struggle with a number of deeper emotional issues. Analyzing data collected from 12,259 people who took the Emotional Intelligence Test, PsychTests' researchers compared people who engage in compulsive habits (“habit‐engagers”) to those who don't (“habit‐resisters”). Habit‐engagers scored lower on a number of emotional intelligence competencies, including the following (note: scores range on a scale from 0 to 100): comfort with emotional situations or people (score of 47, versus 69 for habit‐resisters), emotional control (score of 39, versus 74 for habit‐resisters) and self‐motivation (score of 52, versus 77 for habit‐resisters). The PsychTests study also revealed that 59% of habit‐engagers are very sensitive to criticism (compared to 20% of habit‐resisters), 49% of habit‐engagers feel like they're on a constant emotional roller coaster (compared to 10% of habit‐resisters) and 59% of habit‐engagers are terrified of the future (compared to 18% of habit‐resisters).