How negative reinforcement can help you change your habits

We learn lessons in many ways. While rewards may motivate you, avoiding undesirable experiences and outcomes is just as powerful. This is called negative reinforcement, and it can be an effective tool to spark change in your life.

Unlike positive reinforcement, which relies on getting perks or rewards for doing the right thing, negative reinforcement shapes our behavior through the avoidance of unpleasant conditions. 

For example, children aren’t usually fond of chores. Completing tasks at home can be viewed as a negative stimulus. If your child brings home a great report card, you may reward the behavior by letting them skip chores for the week. Removing the negative stimulus influences positive behavior, encouraging the child to keep up the good work at school. 

Negative reinforcement can be used with the intention of making changes in your own life, too. With the proper application, it can be a powerful tool for transformation.

Negative reinforcement is not the same as negative punishment. Although both relate to behavior modification, reinforcement is not a direct punitive action.

Early research on conditioning identified the effectiveness of both positive and negative reinforcement styles: 

• Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov hypothesized that you could use classical conditioning to get a dog to salivate on command. He did this by pairing a neutral stimulus (in this case, ringing a bell) with a known positive stimulus (a tasty bit of food). He would ring the bell and then feed the dogs. Quickly, the dogs salivated when the bell rang, anticipating the associated food reward.
• American psychologist B.F. Skinner researched the other side of operant conditioning. Skinner put a rat in an operant conditioning chamber (a Skinner box) and exposed it to small electric shocks. The shocks (undesirable stimulus) would stop if the rat hit a lever inside the box. The rat quickly learned to seek out the lever to stop the pain. 

4 negative reinforcement examples

Aversive stimuli make us uncomfortable. When we perform a particular behavior to avoid this feeling, our brains see that action as a reward. In turn, we’re more likely to do it again.

You respond to negative reinforcement every day, even if you don’t realize it. Here are some common negative reinforcement examples:

1. You clean up your dishes and put them away after eating a snack to avoid attracting pests. 
2. After getting stuck in a two-hour traffic jam during the morning commute, you get an unpleasant warning from your manager. So, you decide to head to work sooner to avoid rush-hour traffic and being late. The traffic itself isn’t the negative stimulus in this example, but rather the negative impression from a boss for lateness.
3. You suffer through a long and unpleasant dental cleaning (and lecture). As soon as you’re back home, you commit to an evening flossing habit and only drink juice through a straw to avoid a painful experience in the future. 
4. You set your alarm to wake up early. Although the sound is annoying, and you may want to hit the snooze button, you get up and start your morning routine. By not hitting the snooze button, you avoid the noise being repeated and the negative outcome of being late. 

When to use negative reinforcements

Negative reinforcement can be a powerful motivator for positive change, encouraging you to build better habits. This process steers you toward more desirable outcomes. It’s also helpful where willpower and self-control simply aren’t enough. While you don’t want to rely only on fear as a motivator, avoiding discomfort can help you stay on track.

Eliminate bad habits

f you want to break a bad habit, such as smoking or nail biting, you can use the power of association to break it. Connect the unwanted behavior with a negative consequence. Remove it when you avoid the behavior.

For instance, if you're trying to quit smoking, calculate the money spent on cigarettes weekly. Instead of spending it on cigarettes, set it aside for something you wouldn’t normally indulge in, like a massage or a special dinner. This behavior management can help you improve self-control and reward yourself at the same time.

The disappointment you’d feel missing out on these rewards is a negative stimulus. Getting rewards encourages you to avoid smoking for good. Over time, your brain starts to link the absence of smoking with the positive experience of enjoying those rewards. These positive experiences encourage you to stick to your new, smoke-free way of life.

Improve your performance

You can push yourself to keep improving by associating an unhelpful behavior with an undesirable outcome. Building this belief (called the “locus of control”) has compounding effects on your success. 

If you want to stop procrastinating, impose a penalty for each instance, such as forfeiting leisure time or adding extra work hours. The act of penalizing creates an incentive to explore the reasons behind what causes procrastination, prevent it, and promptly accomplish tasks. 

As you consistently apply this technique, your brain forms a connection between task completion and avoiding negative consequences. This naturally boosts your productivity and efficiency in tackling your roles and responsibilities. Over time, this method ingrains the habit of prompt action, significantly improving your overall performance.

Minimize stressors

Negative reinforcement can be a powerful tool for eliminating all types of stressors. By identifying specific actions or habits that increase stress levels, you can set up systems to avoid these triggers, effectively reducing the amount of stress you experience. 

If checking emails first thing in the morning sparks fear and anxiety, you might decide to delay this task. Instead, you may calm yourself down by tackling an easier or more routine task. This avoidance strategy helps reduce immediate stress and reinforces the habit of engaging in less stressful activities, contributing to a more manageable and less anxious daily routine.

Enhance your productivity

You can use negative reinforcement to enhance productivity by removing negative stimuli and creating a favorable outcome (or avoiding a bad one, like missing deadlines). For example, if constant work notifications distract you and hamper your focus, turn your notifications off while working on high-priority tasks. Muting unnecessary notifications during work can improve your focus, concentration, and output.

By eliminating distraction, you’re not directly rewarding yourself for focusing on the task at hand. Instead, you’re removing a barrier preventing you from getting the task done. This approach encourages a more disciplined work routine by associating uninterrupted work time with a peaceful and productive work session.

Positive reinforcement vs. negative reinforcement

Negative reinforcement isn’t the opposite of positive reinforcement. Both types of reinforcement have the potential to promote better behavior and positive thinking. 

Using positive reinforcement helps you form healthy habits, but negative reinforcement is just as valuable. The trick is knowing when to choose one over the other, or recognizing the use of multiple reinforcements. Adjust reinforcement based on your self-motivation and avoidance traits.

Positive reinforcement grants you perks, rewards, treats, or enjoyment for attaining a goal. It’s great for spurring performance in a short-term goal scenario and can help you be more disciplined over time. 

Here are some signs that positive reinforcement will help you:

• You’re trying to encourage a new behavior or habit not yet established
• The task at hand calls for consistent effort over time
• There’s a clear opportunity to celebrate achievements
• Motivation tends to fluctuate, and you need periodic boosts
• The goal is to build long-term commitment rather than short-term compliance
• Positive outcomes are more important than curbing undesirable behaviors

Negative reinforcement removes an unpleasant stimulus to bring about change. It’s best used when the consequences are immediate and concrete. 

Here are some indicators of when to use negative reinforcement:

• You can avoid a specific behavior to prevent an uncomfortable outcome. The desired behavior should always lead to the desired conditions.
• There is a clear, undesirable consequence to be removed by doing the desired task or target behavior.
• Previous attempts with positive reinforcement don’t help you stay motivated to change.
• The behavior has immediate and tangible negative outcomes linked to not performing the desired action.
• The context supports the quick removal of the negative condition once you choose, creating immediate relief connected to the action.

When negative reinforcement becomes toxic

When negative reinforcement is misapplied, it can become toxic. Using it incorrectly can foster an environment of fear rather than motivation. 

This misuse can lead to stress, decreased self-esteem, and resistance to engaging in the desired behavior, ultimately undermining the outcomes it seeks to promote. Even if it gains the desired result, toxic productivity is an unhealthy pattern.

Here are a few ways to recognize when negative reinforcement is going beyond helpful to toxic:

• You feel constant anxiety or dread over the task or behavior. You may get the “Sunday Scaries” and start avoiding work. Look at the root cause of anxiety or languishing to regain your sense of purpose and avoid toxic behaviors. Implement stress-reduction techniques and consider consulting a mental health professional for guidance.

• You or your team feel resentment over negative reinforcement techniques. Open communication channels to discuss feelings of resentment to help you let go. Seek mediation‌ to restore a constructive relationship with the team or boost employee morale.

• Performance or quality of work decreases due to fear of consequences. Re-evaluate goals and address your lack of motivation. Shift focus toward positive reinforcement strategies that use reward power to encourage behaviors instead of punishing unwanted ones.

• You experience negative physical symptoms such as headaches, exhaustion, or other stress-related conditions that begin to manifest. Prioritize self-care and seek medical advice, if necessary. Practice relaxation techniques and ensure a healthy work-life balance.

• Intrinsic motivation declines, and behavior changes are driven solely by fear of negative consequences. Reconnect with the initial purpose and passion behind the task. Explore ways to cultivate intrinsic motivation by setting goals that align with broader objectives.
• Mistakes are feared rather than embraced as opportunities. To avoid this, foster a culture of learning from errors by highlighting their value in personal and organizational growth. Encourage open discussion about failures without fear of repercussion. Overcoming adversity and learning from your mistakes is a great way to drive your professional development.

Build better habits with the right reinforcement

The path to better habits starts with the proper motivation. Using positive and negative reinforcement techniques can help you enjoy the benefits of making good choices while keeping you on the path toward success. 

For more guidance on nurturing positive behavior change, BetterUp Coaches are here to help. Connect with a dedicated coach to see how they can help you develop your motivation tactics.