Bested by the Buddha: Does Ancient Theory Outperform Modern-Day Psychology for Habit Change and Addiction Treatment?

Changing behavior has been a challenge for thousands of years. This issue has been exacerbated in modern times as substances (e.g., drugs and food) are becoming increasingly refined and tweaked to increase their addictive potential. Behavioral addictions have also come to the fore as advances in neuroscience have made it possible for companies to pinpoint and advertise “pain points” in society (e.g., physical and emotional pain, boredom, social comparison), offering distraction and escape as relief in various forms ranging from video games to social media. And in an age of relative abundance and availability, even food is engineered and designed for overconsumption, leading to overeating, overweight/obesity, and poor mental and physical health. Modern solutions (e.g., Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) have failed to adequately address our collective “bad” habits and addictions as overeating, anxiety, and addiction continue to increase. Over the past several decades, ancient Buddhist theories that directly target reinforcement learning have begun to be tested in research and clinical settings. In this commentary, I give a brief first-person historical account of the merging of Buddhist theory, clinical practice, and research that suggests that such approaches could offer more effective strategies for improving health outcomes compared to current treatment paradigms that focus on cognitive restructuring and willpower.