The idea that it takes just 21 days to form a habit, stemming from 1960s surgeon Maxwell Maltz, is a myth. The notion spread through self-help books and became widely accepted, but research shows ...

The 21-day myth can be traced back to Maxwell Maltz, a plastic surgeon in the 1960s, who observed it took about three weeks for his patients to adjust to physical changes.

Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief by Jordan Peterson 3. The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 4. Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz 5.

If asked how long it takes to form a habit, many people will respond “21 days.” This idea can be traced back to Dr. Maxwell Maltz’s book “Psycho-Cybernetics,” published in 1960.

Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief by Jordan Peterson 3. The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 4. Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz 5.

Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief by Jordan Peterson 3. The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 4. Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz 5.

Where Did the 21-Day Myth Come From? The idea of forming a habit in 21 days can be traced back to Dr. Maxwell Maltz, a plastic surgeon in the 1960s.