Use negative reinforcement. My friend’s uncle used to carry around a small vile of sulfur in his pocket when he had a bad habit that needed breaking. Every time you give in, or forget and crack them, pull out the vile, open it, and take a whiff.
This sort of thing worked for uncle Mike.
Every time you do the bad thing, snap the rubber band on your wrist.
The mild pain will negatively reinforce the misbehavior… and after just a couple of days, you hopefully would see the joint popping reduced/eliminated.
Note: you absolutely MUST snap the rubberband everytime you pop a knuckle.
I like yours better, no sulfur, eww…
I’ve actually never used mine because I wasn’t about to go on a hunt for sulfur, so thanks, I’ve got all kinds of tics that need tending to.
My knees and hips pop a lot, but on their own. It’s not something I can control. If this is your problem and you want it to stop, you should talk to a medical professional to figure out the cause and see if there even is a remedy. Sorry I don’t know very much more on involuntary “pops”.
If its voulntary pops, use robmandu’s advice with the rubber band. If it’s not enough reinforcement to stop the habbit, go with peedub’s because his is way more hardcore and will suck worse.
I like the rubber band idea too. Or you could squeeze one of those stress balls instead of cracking your knuckles. It would keep at least one of your hands busy. http://www.officeplayground.com/balls.html
I need to stop cracking my knuckles too. I used to wrap one section of each finger (ie. Knuckle to the next joint) with that papery tape you can write on with Sharpy so that I would notice when I went to cram my knuckles (because I do it absolutely unconsciously) and it would be uncomfortable, and it worked well until I kept forgetting to put the tape on in the morning.
It has to the exact right width though, so shop through the tape at price max or whatever you have where you’re at.