What is Avoidance/reducing exposure to cues for the behavior?
This behavior change technique involves deliberately avoiding or reducing contact with the environmental cues that trigger an unwanted behavior. Rather than relying on willpower to resist the cue once encountered, the strategy removes the cue from the person’s environment entirely.
How it works
The technique is grounded in stimulus control theory: if a behavior is cue-dependent (most habitual behaviors are), removing the cue removes the trigger. This is more effective than trying to resist the behavior after the cue has been processed, because cue-response links operate automatically and are difficult to override through deliberate effort. The approach works best for behaviors with identifiable, modifiable triggers.
Applied example
A person trying to reduce social media use who deletes the apps from their home screen (increasing friction) and charges their phone in another room at night (removing the bedtime scrolling cue) is using cue avoidance rather than relying on self-control to resist the apps when they are one tap away.
Why it matters
Cue avoidance is one of the most effective techniques for breaking unwanted habits because it interrupts the automatic trigger-behavior chain before willpower is needed.
