What Is Temptation Bundling

And how did I use temptation bundling to my advantage when trying to develop new habits?

Photo by Alexandra Gorn on Unsplash

What is Temptation Bundling?

Temptation bundling is a technique where you attach something you like to do with something that you don’t like to do. Another name for temptation bundling is PreMack’s Principle hypothesized by Psychologist David PreMack in 1965.

The Premack principle suggests that a more desirable activity can be used to reinforce a less desirable one. In other words, use an enjoyable activity that you prefer to do and join it to engage in a less enjoyable activity.

Before the Premack principle, behaviorists believed that reinforcers had a trans-situational nature, meaning something that is a reinforcer in one context will always be a reinforcer. However, Premack’s view shifted this perspective. He proposed that animals have a preference for the order of responses, and stronger responses will reinforce weaker ones.

While the Premack principle has been criticized for its simple view of reinforcement, its derivative, the response deprivation theory, still holds great influence in the psychology of learning.

Essentially, it highlights that more probable behaviors can be used to reinforce the…