Cues for Our Habits

Experiments have shown that most cues fit into one of five categories:

• Location - Where are you? (Sitting at my desk.)
• Time - What time is it? (3:36 p.m.)
• Emotional State - What’s your emotional state? (Bored.)
• Other people - Who else is around? (No one.)
• Immediately preceding action - What action preceded the urge? (Answered an e-mail.)

Source: NY Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/shopping-habits.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all