Revised | Originally Published: July 3, 2021 @ 4:24 pm

Automaticity is the ability to perform a task, activity, or behavior without thinking about each step in the process. Such automation requires lots of practice, but a new habit is formed with enough repetition.

Need an example? Picture 14-month-old Persephone pulling herself into a standing position and then taking tentative steps. She’s devoting a lot of brain power to staying upright and coordinating her wobbly legs. Six months later, she’s much more stable and able to walk and talk and carry a stuffed rabbit simultaneously. By the time she turns 5, it’s hard even to remember when she was unsteady on her feet.

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Hebb’s law explains automaticity: neurons that fire together wire together. When a task, activity, or behavior is repeated, many busy neurons fire in unison.

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