Habits and behavioral complexity – dynamic and distinct constructs

The Japanese term Mendokusai (めんどくさい) is used to describe situations where you just can’t be bothered. For example, it’s perfect for if you want to get a snack, but you are so comfy in your pajamas, lying on the couch, with your pet on your lap, and this episode of the series you’re binging is soooo good, and you should pause it but the remote is like all the way on the other side of the couch … so forget the snack – Mendokusai. Sometimes, even basic tasks can feel really complex. Phillips and Mullan (Citation2022) make the compelling case that both simple and complex behaviors can become habitual. We agree that some things we do are more complex than others – and few would dispute that, but where we do dispute their arguments is their operationalization and conceptualization of behavioral complexity and what it means for habit science. Phillips and Mullan (Citation2022) operationalize behavioral complexity as the product of the number of sub-actions or steps within a behavior and the proximity of reward from the behavior. We argue that 1 – complexity should be considered distinct from proximity of reward and habit and 2 – the complexity of a behavior is not a static attribute of a behavior in isolation, but rather a dynamic process dependent on context, task and actor.