Differential influence of habit components on compulsive and problematic reward-seeking behavior

Habitual behavior has been identified as a key process involved in a variety of mental health problems. Previous research has shown that habit is not a unitary construct. The present study examined how different components of habitual behavior relate to compulsive and problematic reward-seeking behavior. In two experiments, participants (N = 666) completed a French version of the Creature of Habit Scale, which measures two components of habitual behavior: routine and automaticity. Participants also completed questionnaires assessing compulsivity, problematic reward-seeking behaviors, stress, and impulsivity. Dynamic network analyses indicated that the two habitual behavior components were differentially related to these mental health problems: routine was associated with compulsivity, while automaticity was associated with problematic media consumption. These findings suggest that taking the non-unitary architecture of habit into account may help to better understand the role of habit in mental health.