What happens in the brain when habits form?

 There are a million things that we do every day without thinking. Brushing our teeth, drying our hair after a shower, and unlocking our phone screen so we can check our messages are all part of our routine. But what takes place in the brain as we learn a new habit?

Habits drive our lives — so much so that sometimes we might want to break the habit, as the saying goes, and experience something new. But habits are a useful tool; when we do something enough times, we become effortlessly good at it, which is perhaps why Aristotle reportedly believed that “excellence […] is not an act but a habit.”