Cracking the Code of Habit Formation with Machine Learning and Science

A new study by Caltech, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals that habit formation varies greatly, with gym habits taking six months to establish on average, while healthcare workers form a hand-washing habit in a few weeks. The study emphasized the power of machine learning in researching human behavior outside lab conditions, and is the first to use machine learning tools to study habit formation. The researchers employed machine learning to analyze large data sets of tens of thousands of people who were either swiping their badges to enter their gym or washing their hands during hospital shifts.