Definition
Cue → craving → response → reward is the four-step formula behind every habit — treated as a single integrated cycle rather than four separate parts. Each step depends on the one before, and the reward feeds back to strengthen the cue.
The formula is descriptive (every habit fits) and prescriptive (the four laws of behavior change are designed around it).
Why it matters
How it works
The four steps form a closed feedback loop. The cue triggers the brain, the craving supplies the motivational push, the response is the behavior, and the reward closes the loop by teaching the brain that the cue was worth noticing.
Each iteration tightens the association. After enough repetitions, the cue alone is enough — the response runs automatically before conscious thought intervenes. That automaticity is what we mean by habit.
Reading the formula left-to-right gives the descriptive view: this is what happens, in order, every time a habit fires. Reading it as a closed loop gives the operational view: any intervention point will change behavior, but interventions earlier in the loop (cue, craving) are usually higher-leverage than interventions later (response, reward), because they prevent the loop from starting at all.
Use the formula as a diagnostic. Stuck habit? Walk through the four stages. Missing cue means the trigger never fires; weak craving means motivation is too low; excessive friction blocks the response; absent reward means nothing reinforces the next attempt. Whichever stage is broken is where the intervention should land.