Behavior triggers are stimuli that prompt a response or action. They can be external or internal cues that activate certain behaviors. Understanding behavior triggers can provide insight into why we act the way we do and potentially help modify behaviors.
External Triggers
External triggers come from outside of oneself. Some examples include:
- Seeing a sale sign in a store window that triggers the urge to shop
- The smell of freshly baked cookies that triggers hunger or cravings
- Hearing a baby cry that triggers an instinct to nurture
- Getting cut off in traffic that triggers anger and frustration
- Seeing a mess that triggers a desire to clean it up
In these examples, external cues in our environment spark an emotional, cognitive, or behavioral reaction. Stores and companies frequently try to trigger behaviors in consumers through advertising, sales, promotions, or strategic product placement.
Types of External Triggers
External triggers can be further categorized into different types:
- Physical triggers – sights, sounds, smells, tactile sensations
- Social triggers – interactions with other people that influence behaviors
- Conditional triggers – behaviors prompted by specific situations or contexts
Identifying different external triggers and their subtypes can help pinpoint origin of behavioral responses.
Internal Triggers
Internal triggers originate within oneself rather than the external environment. Examples include:
- Feeling hungry that triggers food-seeking behavior
- Feeling tired that triggers resting behavior
- Feeling lonely that triggers social-seeking behavior
- Feeling bored that triggers entertainment-seeking behavior
Internal triggers are connected to biological drives, emotions, thoughts, and memories. They are prompts that activate behaviors aimed at fulfilling internal needs or desires.
Types of Internal Triggers
Major types of internal triggers include:
- Physical triggers – hunger, thirst, pain
- Emotional triggers – stress, boredom, sadness, joy
- Cognitive triggers – desires, curiosity, fantasies
Tuning into internal triggers and what precedes a behavior can promote self-awareness.
Triggers and Habits
Repeated exposure to specific triggers can create habits. The cue-routine-reward cycle explains how this happens:
- A trigger prompts a behavior (cue)
- We act out the behavior (routine)
- The behavior provides some type of reward
Over time, this sequence becomes automated, and the behavior becomes a habit. For example, the cue of feeling stressed triggers the routine of stress eating, which provides the reward of comfort from the food.
Changing Triggers to Change Habits
Since triggers activate habitual behaviors, modifying triggers can help change habits. Strategies include:
- Avoiding or managing triggers
- Introducing new triggers
- Substituting an existing trigger with a different one
- Changing routines or rewards associated with the trigger
Making the trigger less noticeable, accessible, or attractive diminishes its power to spur the unwanted habit.
Positive vs. Negative Triggers
Triggers can spark positive or negative behaviors depending on the nature of the trigger and resulting response. Examples of positive and negative triggers include:
| Positive Triggers | Negative Triggers |
|---|---|
| Seeing exercise gear triggers working out | Getting cut off in traffic triggers road rage |
| Feeling restless triggers being productive | Feeling lonely triggers overeating |
| Deadline approaching triggers focused work | Seeing drug paraphernalia triggers drug use |
Negative triggers tend to lead to unhealthy, risky, destructive, or dangerous behaviors. Being aware of these triggers allows us to take steps to avoid or mute them whenever possible.
Identifying Triggers in Your Life
Here are some tips for identifying potential triggers:
- Keep a log of your daily activities and behaviors. Make note of any routines, reactions, or habits.
- Take note of physical or emotional states preceding a behavior.
- Identify contextual factors, times of day, or cues that spark specific reactions.
- Look for patterns over time to pinpoint reoccurring triggers.
- Consider both external and internal stimuli that may be triggering behaviors.
- Ask others who know you well if they notice any behavioral triggers.
Awareness of personal triggers provides the opportunity to promote positive routines and minimize negative habits. This knowledge also allows us to thoughtfully design environments that bring about our best selves.
Conclusion
Behavior triggers are best understood as the stimuli prompting a given response. External triggers come from the outside world, while internal triggers arise from within oneself. Identifying triggers in your own life can foster self-awareness and provide opportunities to develop positive habits and behaviors. Monitoring triggers also helps limit exposure to negative environmental cues that may lead to undesirable or unhealthy actions.