book review the power of habit by charles duhigg

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Can’t Help Myself

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By Timothy D. Wilson

• March 9, 2012

Human consciousness, that wonderful ability to reflect, ponder and choose, is our greatest evolutionary achievement. But it is possible to have too much of a good thing, and fortunately we also have the ability to operate on automatic pilot, performing complex behaviors without any conscious thought at all. One way this happens is with lots of practice. Tasks that seem impossibly complex at first, like learning how to play the guitar, speak a foreign language or operate a new DVD player, become second nature after we perform those actions many times (well, maybe not the DVD player). “If practice did not make perfect,” William James said, “nor habit economize the expense of nervous and muscular energy, he” (we, that is) “would therefore be in a sorry plight.”

But of course there is a dark side to habits, namely that we acquire bad ones, like smoking or overeating. I imagine that most people — save, perhaps, for a friend of mine who said, in reaction to a news story about the dangers of hyper­tension, “I’ve given up all of my vices; please don’t take away my salt!” — would love to find an easy way of breaking a bad habit or two.

Charles Duhigg, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, has written an entertaining book to help us do just that, “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business.” Duhigg has read hundreds of scientific papers and interviewed many of the scientists who wrote them, and relays interesting findings on habit formation and change from the fields of social psychology, clinical psychology and neuroscience. This is not a self-help book conveying one author’s homespun remedies, but a serious look at the science of habit formation and change.

Duhigg is optimistic about how we can put the science to use. “Once you understand that habits can change,” he concludes, “you have the freedom — and the responsibility — to remake them. Once you understand that habits can be rebuilt, the power becomes easier to grasp, and the only option left is to get to work.” He also suggests that by understanding the nature of habits we can influence group behavior, turning companies into profit makers and ensuring the success of social movements.

He makes his case by presenting fascinating stories and case histories. Readers will learn how and why Target can tell which of its female customers are pregnant, even before they have told their friends and family; how Rick Warren went from a depressed minister of a small congregation to the leader of one of the biggest megachurches in the world; why Rosa Parks’s refusal to give up her seat started a movement when similar refusals by others had not; and why a 1987 fire in a London Underground station failed to be contained, leading to the deaths of 31 people.

Unfortunately, it’s not always clear from Duhigg’s book how we should boil down these examples into a prescription for change, because he combines markedly different behaviors, at the individual and societal levels, into the rubric of habits. In the first chapter he presents a simple scheme called “the habit loop,” whereby an environmental cue automatically leads to a behavioral routine that results in a reward. He sticks to this scheme throughout, using it as a framework to understand such diverse behaviors as why people buy a certain brand of toothpaste, become addicted to cigarettes and alcohol, and prefer particular songs on the radio. The danger of trying to explain so much with one framework is that it sidesteps crucial distinctions about why people behave “mindlessly,” distinctions we need to understand if we want to change those behaviors.

One way behavior can become habitual, as noted, is through repetition. If we acquire a bad habit this way it is very hard to change, because its grooves are so well worn in our minds. We have to painstakingly practice a better response that wears a new groove. Duhigg gives the example of the success of the former N.F.L. coach Tony Dungy, who, with lots and lots of practice, taught his players a small number of important moves they could perform without thinking, even at the most crucial point in a game. Bad habits are overcome by learning new routines and practicing them over and over again.

But then there are compulsions and addictions, behaviors that involve dependence on a chemical substance, like nicotine or alcohol, or behaviors that have become so rewarding that they’re nearly impossible to resist (e.g., gambling). As many wrecked families can attest, these habits are the hardest to change. Unfortunately there is no magic bullet, though intensive treatments and social support can work.

Other behaviors are habitual because they obey social norms — norms that we rarely question or think about. We shake hands when we greet people, wear socks of the same color and eat with a fork because these are the customs we have learned. Such behaviors are not well-worn grooves in our minds, but actions we could easily alter if the laws or customs that governed them should change.

In the not-so-distant past, for example, Americans habitually failed to wear their seat belts — in 1984, 86 percent failed to buckle up. By 2010 this “habit” had flipped, such that 85 percent of people now wore seat belts. This change did not involve learning a new routine, as happens when people spend hundreds of hours learning a musical instrument. After all, people already knew how to grab the belt and insert the buckle into the receptacle. Rather, it happened because of changing norms in our society (spurred on by legislation in some states). In fact, social psychologists have shown that an effective way of changing many habitual behaviors is to change people’s perceptions of the norms that govern them, resulting in reduced drinking on college campuses, for instance, and lowered energy use in the home.

There is another type of habitual behavior that involves more cognitive activity, namely people’s interpretation of a situation according to what it means for them and how it fits into the narratives they tell themselves. These behaviors are habitual in the sense that people have chronic ways of interpreting the world. A black college student’s “story,” for example, may be that she doesn’t belong at the ­majority-white university she attends, which causes her to fall into a pattern of disengagement and academic failure. Research shows that changing black students’ stories about their sense of belonging improves their academic performance and health throughout college.

The point is that habitual behaviors come in many different forms, and squeezing them into one framework misses some of the nuances of how to change behavior effectively. In recent years social psychologists have developed many effective interventions to help people improve their lives, only some of which involve breaking bad habits in the way Duhigg describes.

Nonetheless, “The Power of Habit” is an enjoyable book, and readers will find useful advice about how to change at least some of their bad habits — even if they want to keep their salt.

THE POWER OF HABIT

Why we do what we do in life and business.

By Charles Duhigg

Illustrated. 371 pp. Random House. $28.

Timothy D. Wilson is Sherrell J. Aston professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and the author of “Redirect: The Surprising New Science of Psycho­logical Change.”

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THE POWER OF HABIT

Why we do what we do and how to change it.

by Charles Duhigg ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 6, 2012

For self-help seekers, a more convincing book than most.

According to this instructional text for readers habituated to unhelpful ways, changing those bad habits for good habits isn’t rocket science—it’s brain science.

New York Times investigative reporter Duhigg demonstrates how automatic behavior, good or bad, can grow from a repeated decision that gets lodged in the basal ganglia. The result is a fixed loop of cue, routine and reward. Animal trainers are already familiar with this information. For improvement, the trick is to keep the cue and reward, but change the routine. The belief that acquiring a new “keystone habit” can really be achieved is necessary, and that’s why support groups, like AA, are valuable. To clarify his points, Duhigg offers some simplistic diagrams with many cautionary stories of surgeons, baristas, gamblers, sex addicts and football coaches, as well as the selling of toothpaste, aluminum and room deodorizers. Along with tales of paragons of corporate management, we learn how supermarkets are arranged, how Target stores target consumers, how Marin Luther King Jr. managed the Montgomery bus boycott and how Rick Warren organized his monumental Saddleback Church. Even with such varied exemplars, the skilled narrative remains accessible. Unlike other exhortations with titles that promise empowerment, this admonitory entry is supported by interviews, neurological studies and empirical histories. Copious notes and a “Reader’s Guide to Using These Ideas” are appended.

Pub Date: March 6, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-4000-6928-6

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Nov. 27, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2011

PSYCHOLOGY | BUSINESS | SELF-HELP | LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT & COMMUNICATION | GENERAL BUSINESS

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BOOK REVIEW

by Charles Duhigg

THE 48 LAWS OF POWER

by Robert Greene ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1998

If the authors are serious, this is a silly, distasteful book. If they are not, it’s a brilliant satire.

The authors have created a sort of anti-Book of Virtues in this encyclopedic compendium of the ways and means of power.

Everyone wants power and everyone is in a constant duplicitous game to gain more power at the expense of others, according to Greene, a screenwriter and former editor at Esquire (Elffers, a book packager, designed the volume, with its attractive marginalia). We live today as courtiers once did in royal courts: we must appear civil while attempting to crush all those around us. This power game can be played well or poorly, and in these 48 laws culled from the history and wisdom of the world’s greatest power players are the rules that must be followed to win. These laws boil down to being as ruthless, selfish, manipulative, and deceitful as possible. Each law, however, gets its own chapter: “Conceal Your Intentions,” “Always Say Less Than Necessary,” “Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy,” and so on. Each chapter is conveniently broken down into sections on what happened to those who transgressed or observed the particular law, the key elements in this law, and ways to defensively reverse this law when it’s used against you. Quotations in the margins amplify the lesson being taught. While compelling in the way an auto accident might be, the book is simply nonsense. Rules often contradict each other. We are told, for instance, to “be conspicuous at all cost,” then told to “behave like others.” More seriously, Greene never really defines “power,” and he merely asserts, rather than offers evidence for, the Hobbesian world of all against all in which he insists we live. The world may be like this at times, but often it isn’t. To ask why this is so would be a far more useful project.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1998

ISBN: 0-670-88146-5

Page Count: 430

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1998

GENERAL BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION | PSYCHOLOGY | HISTORICAL & MILITARY

More by Robert Greene

by Robert Greene

More About This Book

BOOK TO SCREEN

THE CULTURE MAP

Breaking through the invisible boundaries of global business.

by Erin Meyer ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 27, 2014

These are not hard and fast rules, but Meyer delivers important reading for those engaged in international business.

A helpful guide to working effectively with people from other cultures.

“The sad truth is that the vast majority of managers who conduct business internationally have little understanding about how culture is impacting their work,” writes Meyer, a professor at INSEAD, an international business school. Yet they face a wider array of work styles than ever before in dealing with clients, suppliers and colleagues from around the world. When is it best to speak or stay quiet? What is the role of the leader in the room? When working with foreign business people, failing to take cultural differences into account can lead to frustration, misunderstanding or worse. Based on research and her experiences teaching cross-cultural behaviors to executive students, the author examines a handful of key areas. Among others, they include communicating (Anglo-Saxons are explicit; Asians communicate implicitly, requiring listeners to read between the lines), developing a sense of trust (Brazilians do it over long lunches), and decision-making (Germans rely on consensus, Americans on one decider). In each area, the author provides a “culture map scale” that positions behaviors in more than 20 countries along a continuum, allowing readers to anticipate the preferences of individuals from a particular country: Do they like direct or indirect negative feedback? Are they rigid or flexible regarding deadlines? Do they favor verbal or written commitments? And so on. Meyer discusses managers who have faced perplexing situations, such as knowledgeable team members who fail to speak up in meetings or Indians who offer a puzzling half-shake, half-nod of the head. Cultural differences—not personality quirks—are the motivating factors behind many behavioral styles. Depending on our cultures, we understand the world in a particular way, find certain arguments persuasive or lacking merit, and consider some ways of making decisions or measuring time natural and others quite strange.

Pub Date: May 27, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-61039-250-1

Page Count: 288

Publisher: PublicAffairs

Review Posted Online: April 15, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2014

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The Deliberate Owl

Book Review: The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

Do you want to build better habits?

In The Power of Habit , Charles Duhigg explains how individuals, organizations, and societies form habits, and how they can change those habits.

Why it matters: Habits are the backbone of daily life. Habits explain much of what we do and why we do it. But, critically, Duhigg argues that once you have a habit, you can never eradicate it—it can only ever be transformed. So if you want better habits, you have to learn how to change the habits you already have. Duhigg writes,

"Most of the choices we make each day may feel like the products of well-considered decision making, but they're not. They're habits."

Throughout the book, Duhigg shares stories of successful habit change, drawing wisdom from an NFL coach who got a loser team to the Superbowl; the successes of Alcoholics Anonymous; Target's data analytics; the civil rights movement; the growth of a mega-chuch; and many others. He breaks down what forms a habit, and the steps to habit change.

(Read: Forming Good Habits and Breaking Bad Habits: Aristotle's 4 Levels of Virtue )

Diving in: What is a habit?

Duhigg begins the book by explaining the habit loop:

"This process within our brains is a three-step loop. First, there is a cue, a trigger that tells your brain to go into automatic mode and which habit to use. Then there is the routine, which can be physical or mental or emotional. Finally, there is a reward, which helps your brain figure out if this particular loop is worth remembering for the future"

Habits can easily be built unconsciously, like fast food consumption. We often don't realize we're building a routine upon seeing certain cues. And it's a powerful loop, but delicate—if you mess with the cue, the routine won't follow. Duhigg writes,

"When a habit emerges, the brain stops fully participating in decision making. It stops working so hard, or diverts focus to other tasks. So unless you deliberately fight a habit—unless you find new routines— the pattern will unfold automatically."

Once a habit is in place, your brain starts to anticipate the reward upon seeing the cue. You crave the reward. Craving powers the habit loop. As an example, people who start exercising often start on a whim, such as the desire to be fit, having more free time, or to deal with stress. People who continued exercising had a craving—for the "feel good" endorphins generated by exercise, or for the sense of accomplishment from recording the workout or tracking increasing performance. As Duhigg writes,

"This explains why habits are so powerful: they create neurological cravings. Most of the time, these cravings emerge so gradually that we're not really aware they exist, so we're often blind to their influence. But as we associate cues with certain rewards, a subconscious craving emerges in our brains that starts the habit loop spinning."

To build a habit intentionally, match a specific cue (such as the time of day, arriving home from work, laying out exercise clothes in the morning) with a clear reward (exercise endorphins, a beer after dinner, a favorite show while working out, tracking your progress). Then do it a lot (this is the hard part), until the craving kicks in and helps the routine become automatic.

How do you change a habit?

Habits can never be eradicated—they can only ever be transformed. To change a habit, you keep the cue and reward, and change the routine.

The first step is noticing your habits. When you can notice the cues and rewards, you can begin changing the associated routines.

Duhigg has plenty of suggestions to make habit change succeed. For instance, you'll be more motivated if you find a habit you must change in order to achieve a more important goal, such as quitting smoking so you can run a marathon. Or, find a keystone habit—a habit that, when you change it, other patterns and routines shift, too. One example is exercise. When people start exercising, they often have more energy, and change other parts of their diet and lifestyle.

Another key aspect of habit change is belief: the belief that you can change. Duhigg tells the story of Alcoholics Anonymous, and how instead of attacking the biochemical and psychiatric issues behind alcoholism, AA attacks habits around alcohol use. The steps include making lists of alcohol triggers or cues, and the rewards people get from alcohol, what cravings are underlying the habit loop.

AA also targeted belief. The group has a big spiritual or God aspect; it helps people learn to believe that they can change, that things can get better. Communities and groups are key to the belief that you can change—whether a support group like AA, a couple friends who are also training for a marathon, or an accountability partner for your writing goals. Duhigg writes,

"Once people learned how to believe in something, that skill started spilling over to other parts of their lives, until they started believing they could change."

Habits make or break organizations and society

The latter sections of the book explain how habits function within organizations and in society more broadly. They're about what happens when a bunch of people develop similar social habits or work habits, and how it affects things on a larger scale than the individual.

Duhigg gives examples of how companies use keystone habits to change company culture and direction. For instance, a new CEO of Alcoa, the aluminum company, decided to focus on safety—everyone could agree that safety mattered, the managers and the workers and the unions. The focus on improving safety meant a bunch of other things changed and improved too, such as communication, efficiency, and productivity. Safety was a keystone habit.

He also discusses how companies influence your purchasing habits. They use data analytics to determine what you might buy, and send targeted ads and coupons to encourage you to buy it. The key is not to spook people by knowing too much, e.g., by showing a customer the analytics says is pregnant ads for baby gear before they've created a registry. Instead, sandwich the ad for diapers in between other items that aren't baby related.

Habits and willpower

Duhigg spends a chapter talking about willpower, and how you can make willpower a habit. I found this interesting, because I'm interested in motivation and discipline. Duhigg argues that autonomy—one component of motivation—is critical to willpower. When you have a sense of control, things are easier; if you don't, it's taxing and it feels like your willpower gets used up.

The big thing was that you can improve your willpower through practice. If you learn to do the hard work in one area, resist temptations, control impulses, it's generalizable. It spills into other areas of your life. In studies, as people were taught skills requiring willpower—exercise, money management, study skills—they also exerted more willpower in other areas of their lives—smoking less, drinking less, eating healthier, watching less tv, exercising more, and so on.

One key strategy people used to stick with tasks was pre-commitment. They decided ahead of time how they would respond to a certain cue, and took steps to make it easier to hold to that decision.

(Read: How to Procrastinate Less by Increasing Your Motivation and Decreasing Temptations )

This chapter felt like it was less about habits or willpower, and more about autonomy and the ability to deal with temptations. E.g., Duhigg was arguing that pre-deciding what actions to take was making self-discipline a habit; it seems to me that's not really the same as the other habits discussed in the book. Maybe some of the definitions weren't clear enough; maybe I've read enough on these subjects to notice when people use the same terms in different ways. It was interesting regardless.

(Read: How Autonomy Will Help You Flourish )

Societal habits and social behavior

The chapters about society covered social movements and social behavior. Duhigg discusses social capital, peer pressure, and the power of weak ties—of friends of friends—and the social status you gain or lose by going along with the crowd.

These sections had me wondering what the difference between a habit and a social behavior is—if any? I'd think a habit is learned: cue-routine-reward. Some human social behavior is innate, developed over human history; some of it is learned, too, but is it necessarily a habit? Anyway, like with the sections on willpower, it felt a little like the author was trying to fit as much as possible under his definition of habit just to make habits seem more important.

Who should read this book?

I found the earlier chapters on individual habits more useful than the later sections on organizational and societal level habits. It was harder to see how to apply the later chapters—the stories were interesting, though.

Read this book if you want to learn how habits are formed and how to change them. I read it because I realized one piece of the puzzle of how and why we do what we do and how to be successful is habit formation. I've read books on other parts of the puzzle— motivation , goals , learning , discipline —but not habits, until this one!

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Book review: ‘The Power of Habit’ by Charles Duhigg

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When Paul O’Neill took over the floundering Aluminum Co. of America in October 1987, he shocked attendees at an introductory news conference by proclaiming that his focus would not be on expanding sales or improving profitability. Rather, he said, his emphasis would be on improving employee safety. Investors at the conference thought he was crazy and rushed from the room to tell their clients to sell Alcoa stock immediately. “It was literally the worst piece of advice I gave in my entire career,” one later said.

O’Neill instituted wide-ranging programs to increase safety in what was previously a dangerous industry, empowering employees to offer suggestions and ensuring that accidents were immediately brought to the attention of executives. As the accident rate declined — ultimately to about 5% of the national average — something funny happened. Communication among employees increased, line workers offered other suggestions to improve efficiency, and the company underwent a renaissance. Within a year, Alcoa’s profits reached a record level. By the time O’Neill retired in 2000, the company’s stock was worth five times as much as when he started.

O’Neill, who served as Treasury secretary during George W. Bush’s first term, had focused on what Charles Duhigg, a reporter at the New York Times, calls a keystone habit: a small change in behavior that, when it starts to shift, dislodges and remakes other patterns in life. Such habits can be things like instituting an exercise program when attempting to lose weight or visiting with friends in Alcoholics Anonymous when the urge to drink strikes. In other words, take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves.

“The Power of Habit” is chock-full of fascinating anecdotes like O’Neill’s story: how an early 20th century adman turned Pepsodent into the first bestselling toothpaste by creating the habit of brushing daily, how a team of marketing mavens at Procter & Gamble rescued Febreze from the scrapheap of failed products by recognizing that a fresh smell was a fine reward for a cleaning task, how Michael Phelps’ coach instilled habits that made him an Olympic champion many times over, and how Tony Dungy turned the Indianapolis Colts into a Super Bowl-winning team.

The subjects of the anecdotes may not have recognized it explicitly, but their actions were in line with a variety of modern research that shows that many of our activities in life are based on habits. Habits can be as simple and beneficial as putting on your left shoe first in the morning or turning right out of the driveway to go to work, or as damaging as turning to alcohol when faced with stress or eating a high-calorie snack in midafternoon. Understanding how the habits work makes it possible to change them.

In its simplest form, researchers have found, a habit has three components: a cue, a routine and a reward. Over time, the routine becomes so habitual that the person anticipates the reward and receives almost as much pleasure from the anticipation as from the reward itself — a phenomenon known as craving. The anticipation of lighting a cigarette, for example, can bring nearly as much pleasure as inhaling the first puff of smoke.

The key to changing habits is not to avoid the cues or to change the rewards, most research shows. Rather, it involves changing the routine that leads from cue to habit. Duhigg notes that he was gaining weight, at least in part, because every afternoon at 3:30 he would break and go get a chocolate chip cookie. A series of experiments, such as having tea instead, chatting with colleagues or taking a brisk walk, indicated that what he really wanted was a break from work and interaction with colleagues. Instead of getting a cookie, he started taking 10 minutes to chat and found that he got the same reward from the activity. The cue stayed the same and the reward was similar, but the routine was markedly different.

Duhigg sometimes oversimplifies his explanations and some examples, such as the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, seem to strain credibility a bit. But by and large, the anecdotes are entertaining and the book just may give you a few ideas about how to change some ideas of your own.

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The Power of Habit

Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

Charles Duhigg | 4.35 | 844,804 ratings and reviews

Ranked #1 in Neuro-Linguistic Programming , Ranked #3 in Self-Improvement — see more rankings .

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Reviews and Recommendations

We've comprehensively compiled reviews of The Power of Habit from the world's leading experts.

Naval Ravikant CEO & Co-Founder/AngelList I also recently finished The Power of Habit, or close to finish as I get. That one was interesting, not because of its content necessarily, but because it’s good for me to always keep on top of mind how powerful my habits are. [...] I think learning how to break habits is a very important meta-skill that can serve you better in life than almost anything else. Although you can read tons of books on it, the reality is you’re never going to learn how to break bad habits until you just break them. (Source)

Blake Irving CEO/GoDaddy You know, there's a book called The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Simple read book about just how to build positive habits that can be I think I what I'd call you know whether in your personal life or whether in your business life to help you build you know, have a loop that can build your success and that's one I mean there are so many great books out there. (Source)

Santiago Basulto Another book with great impact was “The power of habit”. But to be honest, I read only a couple of pages. It’s a good book, with many interesting stories. But to be honest, the idea it tries to communicate is simple and after a couple of pages you’ve pretty much understood all of it. Happens the same thing with those types of books (Getting things done, crossing the chasm, etc.) (Source)

Chelsea Frank I read everything with an open mind, often challenging myself by choosing books with an odd perspective or religious/spiritual views. These books do not reflect my personal feelings but are books that helped shape my perspective on life, love, and happiness. (Source)

Armina Sirbu The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg - helped me understand how I could (for real) create a new habit or get rid of an unwanted one. (Source)

David Kramaley When asked what books he would recommend to youngsters interested in his professional path, David mentioned The Power of Habit. (Source)

Darren Chua When asked what books he'd recommend to young people interested in the same career path, mentioned The Power of Habit. (Source)

Sergey Sapelnyk The most impactful book in recent memory is The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. It was tremendously eye-opening to realize that our daily lives consist of habits (whether positive, or negative). After reading this book, I began thinking of most of my professional (and partially personal) life as a series of habits that I’ve built over years. Given that your career will likely span hundreds of years, creating and reinforcing positive habits will make a drastic difference over time (much like the principle of ‘compounding’ in finance). This book kick-started a different thinking process for... (Source)

Nicolas Jouvenceau “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg, because I tried many times to stop smoking and did not manage it, and am also interested to understand how we form habits. I am half way in this one and “Small is the new big” because I am looking for ideas, inspiration... business wise. (Source)

Mehdi Kajbaf The Power of Habit is reminding of how many great habits I’ve slowly been letting go as my life gets busier and busier. It’s important to always do a self check and see if your day to day behaviors are setting you up for success. (Source)

Joan Boixados The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg has been quite enlightening to understand more about habits, how we form them and how important they are in our daily lives and the way we think. Specifically, the cue-routine-reward cycle he inferred from several behavioural studies. Not only has it helped me to design a better habit tracker, but it also helps me take action into improving my behaviours and mentality. It’s a great personal growth resource. (Source)

Joel Gascoigne This book introduced me to the idea of 'keystone habits', which are ones where if you focus on them then they can transform your whole state and can trigger further healthy changes. (Source)

Cynthia Cleveland Q: What is one must-read book for business leaders? A: The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Business and Life by Charles Duhigg. (Source)

Alden Mills More recent books that have had a significant impact on me are The Power of Habit and The Diamond Cutter. Both represent different forces for me – the former helps me tactically with making incremental improvements in my life. (Source)

Ryan Foland @Beam626 @cduhigg Totally. But this book has opened up my eyes that we do thinga out of habit, that sometimes we don't realize. Realizing this is powerful. (Source)

Bill Widmer There are hundreds of other books that have impacted me as well, but two other life-changing ones have been The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg and Willpower Doesn't Work by Benjamin Hardy. Habits are essential to creating a life you love, and you can't change them through willpower alone; these two books go hand-in-hand. (Source)

Rankings by Category

The Power of Habit is ranked in the following categories:

• #12 in Adulting
• #26 in Audible
• #5 in Behavior
• #14 in Behavioral Economics
• #12 in Behavioral Psychology
• #7 in Brain
• #12 in Business
• #22 in Business Development
• #15 in Business Economics
• #21 in Business Management
• #14 in Business Motivation
• #20 in Career Guide
• #10 in Coaching
• #10 in Cognitive Psychology
• #24 in Consulting
• #8 in Consumer Behavior
• #18 in Creative
• #21 in Current
• #17 in Decision Making
• #16 in Devops
• #7 in Discipline
• #22 in Documentaries
• #4 in Educational Psychology
• #20 in Emotional Intelligence
• #15 in Finding Yourself
• #11 in Focus
• #24 in Game Changer
• #11 in Goal Setting
• #10 in Growth Hacking
• #14 in How Things Work
• #11 in How To
• #5 in Human Brain
• #25 in Human Nature
• #15 in Human Physiology
• #19 in Human Resources
• #31 in Important
• #19 in Influence
• #34 in Information
• #29 in Insightful
• #33 in Inspiration
• #31 in Intellectual
• #7 in Interactions
• #18 in Interesting
• #16 in Knowledge
• #28 in Leadership
• #11 in Learning
• #30 in Life Lessons
• #8 in Lifestyle
• #34 in Marketing
• #10 in Marketing Strategy
• #10 in Mind
• #10 in Mindset
• #14 in Motivational
• #8 in Neurology
• #10 in Neuroscience
• #28 in Nonfiction
• #8 in Organization
• #17 in Personal Branding
• #3 in Personal Development
• #7 in Personal Growth
• #11 in Personality
• #13 in Perspective
• #10 in Persuasion
• #6 in Physiology
• #14 in Power
• #12 in Process
• #12 in Product Design
• #4 in Productivity
• #19 in Project Management
• #15 in Psychiatry
• #12 in Psycho
• #9 in Psychology
• #17 in Research
• #33 in Science and Math
• #27 in Scientific
• #4 in Self Development
• #20 in Self Discovery
• #7 in Self-Awareness
• #6 in Self-Help
• #22 in Small Business
• #24 in Smart
• #29 in Social
• #9 in Social Psychology
• #14 in Social Sciences
• #20 in Social Skills
• #28 in Social Studies
• #27 in Sociology
• #18 in Success
• #16 in Thinking
• #21 in Thought
• #10 in Time Management
• #29 in To-Read
• #24 in Wellness
• #31 in Wisdom

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The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg: A Review (2024 Update)

There might be affiliate links on this page, which means we get a small commission of anything you buy. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Please do your own research before making any online purchase.

How do habits actually work? Why do people keep doing self-destructive things? Can habit development cause a positive change in an organization?

How do you form a good habit?

All of these questions are answered in Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habits: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business .

In this The Power of Habit review, I’ll talk about how you can use this book to help develop good habits.

Table of Contents

The Power of Habit (An Overview)

I can not say enough good things about this book. I have read literally hundreds of books about habits and habit change in my life. Both for personal pleasure and for researching ideas for books I have written.

Some books were horrible, some were decent and a few were really good. The Power of Habit is head and shoulders above the rest. The best book on habits ever written.

The Power of Habit is broken into three main sections

Part 1: Habits of Individuals

Duhigg begins with a description of the habit loop . This is a circular process with three main components:

• The Cue: A situational trigger that is based on a reward you’re seeking.
• The Routine: A physical or emotional action you take to obtain the reward.
• The Reward: The satisfaction you seek by following the routine.

To illustrate this concept, check out this flowchart that Duhigg offers on his blog :

The key to a permanent change is to break down the habit loop into three distinct components. When you know why you take a certain action, it becomes easier to substitute this behavior with a positive change.

Duhigg has a great description of the habit loop:

To change a habit, you must keep the old cue, and deliver the old reward, but insert a new routine. Charles Duhigg

The majority of the first section provides examples from individuals and organizations that use habit loops to improve product sales.

For instance, Duhigg talks about how companies like Pepsodent and Febreeze identified the routines of customers and used this information to sell more products.

Part 2: Habits of Successful Organizations

Again, Duhigg does a great job of showing how habits can have a positive (and negative) impact on all aspects of society.

He gives example from Alcoa, Michael Phelps, Target, King’s Cross Station, Starbuck’s Coffeehouse and the “Hey Ya!” song by Outkast.

All of this is interesting information. But what really stands out is Duhigg’s concept of the “ keystone habit .”

What is a keystone habit?

A keystone habit can be defined as a single habit that produces a positive, chain effect in a person or organization.

One example is the habit of food journaling . Writing down a diary of your food intake can generate positive results in many areas of your life.

It can: improve your diet, make you exercise, keep healthy foods nearby and stop snacking on junk foods. All of these positive changes can happen with a food journal routine .

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Part 3: Habits Impact on Society

This section details important social habit lessons from the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, and how “free will” relates to a gambling addiction.

All of these examples were interesting, but they paled in comparison to what’s covered at the end of the book:

4 Steps for Changing Any Habit

Unfortunately, the best part (in my opinion) is buried in the back of the book on page 275. Here, Duhigg details a 4 step process for changing any habit.

I understand why Duhigg puts this blueprint at end of his book. He makes a valid point about the nature of habit development – everyone has different cues and cravings. So it’s hard to provide a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution.

He puts it best with this comment:

It’s not that formulas don’t exist. The problem is that there isn’t one formula for changing habits. There are thousands.

With that said, I think Duhigg provides an excellent framework for changing any habit .

He breaks down the process into four steps:

Step 1 – Identify the Routine

A habit has three main components – cue, routine and reward. Your goal is to identify how you go from a cue to following a habit that you hate. The more you know about a routine, the easier it is to change it.

Step 2 – Experiment with Rewards

There is a specific reason why you follow a bad habit . That’s why it’s important to understand the cravings that drive this behavior. The goal of step two is identify the actual reason you complete a specific routine.

During this phase you’ll adjust your habit, so it delivers a different result. This helps you figure out why you follow it.

Is it from a need to fit in? Do you get an emotional charge? Are you trying to relax? Do you actually crave something else?

One of these questions can be the real reason for why you follow a habit.

Here's a long list of rewards you can experiment with .

Step 3 – Isolate the Cue

All habits have a trigger that tells the brain that you want a specific reward. The trick is to identify the cue for every action.

In his book, Duhigg talks about the most common cues – location, time, emotional state, other people and what action precedes this cue.

You can gain a lot of insight by answering these five questions:

• Where are you?
• What time is it?
• What's your emotional state ?
• Who else is around?
• What action preceded the urge?

Write down these five answers, every time you experience a habit cue, and you will take that first step towards making a lasting change.

Step 4 – Have a Plan

Now it’s time to change that bad habit ! You can’t control the cue and you can’t change the reward. What you can change is the routine .

In this final step, you will follow a routine that provides the same reward without following the negative habit. The simplest way to do this is to have a specific plan of action whenever you experience a cue.

This plan is almost like setting a goal. You’ll take all the feedback from the five questions (step 3) and create a step-by-step blueprint for how to act when you feel the need to follow a bad habit.

Let’s say you’re trying to change the habit of drinking a few beers after work .

In the research phase you discovered this behavior comes from a need to relax after a stressful day. You also discovered that you get the same reward 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise.

So your new routine will look like this:

At 5:30 PM every day, I will exercise for 30 minutes because it relaxes me .

Having a specific course of action makes it easier to change a habit because you’re giving the brain the same reward that it seeks when a specific cue is triggered.

Now you may be wondering how long it takes to form this new habit. Take a few minutes to watch the video below to find out:

Takeaways from the The Power of Habit

You should have a pretty good idea of what this power of habit is about by this point. But I am a habitual list maker, so let me give you a simple list of some of the important facts The Power of Habit teaches us about.

• Golden rule of changing habits: Don't resist craving. Redirect it.
• Kicking habits is hard due to rewards at the end of the habit loop.
• To end bad habit, replace with a new routine .
• Companies can use these habits and cravings to market to customers.
• Keystone habits can help you form other habits.
• Denying rewards without replacing them makes people frustrated.
• Craving can work also work to reinforce good habits.
• Small wins are important because they create an impetus behind habit change. Willpower is a finite resource.
• All habits form a cue-routine-reward loop.

This review doesn’t do justice to The Power of Habit book. Charles Duhigg does a great job of describing how habits work in a variety of settings. Plus he provides a great framework for changing your negative habits.

Final Thoughts on The Power of Habit

The Power of Habit is an excellent book that’s chock full of interesting concepts and examples. If this sounds like a fun book you'd be interested in, then be sure to check it out here .

Finally, if you want to read more self-help books, check out these blog posts:

• 250+ Best Self Help Books
• 29 Best Books on Building Good Habits
• 11 Best Morning and Daily Routine Books

Finally, if you need help with building habits, then check out this nine-step blueprint that walks you through the entire process of creating lifelong habits .)

2 thoughts on “The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg: A Review (2024 Update)”

It’s a great book Michal. I highly recommend it!

Loved the book and it helped me transform my Aerial business by following some the simple steps from your book.

Comments are closed.

Strategy Boffins

Book reviews, insightful exploration into habit formation: a review of charles duhigg's "the power of habit", charles duhigg's "the power of habit" provides an engrossing examination of the role habits play in individual lives, organizations, and societies, emphasizing the potential for profound change., subjects: self help.

Charles Duhigg’s “ The Power of Habit ” delves into the intriguing realm of habits and their profound impact on individuals, organizations, and societies. Duhigg, an investigative reporter, combines scientific research with a plethora of engaging narratives to elucidate how habits form, how they function, and crucially, how they can be transformed.

The book is structured into three parts. The first part explores the science of habit formation in individuals, using fascinating case studies like that of Lisa Allen, who transformed her life by altering her habits. Duhigg explains the habit loop (cue-routine-reward) and how understanding and manipulating this loop can lead to significant personal change.

In the second section, Duhigg shifts focus to organizations, illustrating how habits influence business practices and cultures. He presents case studies like that of Paul O’Neill at Alcoa and Starbucks, showing how understanding and shaping organizational habits can lead to substantial success and transformation within companies.

The final part discusses the habits of societies, exploring how they can spur broad social and political changes. Through stories like that of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Duhigg demonstrates how societal habits influence mass movements and social change.

Duhigg’s writing is both accessible and compelling, making complex psychological and neurological concepts understandable to a broad audience. He emphasizes the power of habits in shaping our lives and provides insights into how we can harness this power to achieve personal growth and societal change.

Comparatively, “The Power of Habit” echoes themes found in other works like “ Atomic Habits ” by James Clear and “ The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People ” by Stephen Covey, yet stands out for its in-depth research and storytelling approach, making the science of habits relatable and actionable.

The book intricately explores the neuroscience behind habits, emphasizing the habitual loop comprising a cue, a routine, and a reward. Duhigg’s investigative prowess shines as he unpacks the complexity of habit formation and modification, not just at the individual level but extending to organizations and societies.

The book gives an insightful exploration into the habit loop, a concept pivotal to understanding how habits are formed and sustained. This loop consists of a cue (a trigger for the behavior to start), a routine (the behavior itself), and a reward (a positive reinforcement making the behavior stick)​​. Duhigg uses relatable anecdotes, like his own afternoon cookie habit, to illustrate this loop, making the science of habits accessible and engaging. Through experimentation with rewards and identifying cues, Duhigg showcases how altering one element in the loop can lead to significant behavior change, offering a powerful tool for those looking to modify their habits.

One of the most compelling aspects of the book is its examination of keystone habits. These are habits that, when altered, can set off a chain reaction, changing other habits in the process. Duhigg uses the transformation of Alcoa under Paul O’Neill as a prime example, where focusing on safety led to improved organizational habits across the board, ultimately resulting in increased profitability and safety records. This idea that some habits have the power to start a domino effect of positive change is particularly motivating.

The book also delves into the role of belief in habit change. Duhigg argues that for habits to permanently change, individuals must believe that change is possible, often necessitating the support of a group or community. This insight is crucial, especially when considering more ingrained habits or addictions. The book posits that belief, coupled with understanding the habit loop, can arm individuals with the tools needed to effect lasting change.

Duhigg doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of habits, discussing how they can be exploited. For instance, he explores how companies, like Target, analyze consumer habits to predict customer needs, sometimes even before the customers themselves are aware of those needs. This raises ethical questions about the manipulation of habits for commercial gain, adding a layer of complexity to the discussion.

In conclusion, “The Power of Habit” offers a comprehensive and accessible guide to understanding and changing habits. Through a blend of scientific research and captivating narratives, Duhigg provides readers with the tools to transform their habits, their organizations, and, ultimately, their lives.

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• 22nd August 2018

Charles Duhigg`s The Power Of Habit {Book Review}

When I learned about habits under Professor BJ Fogg from Stanford University, I realised that to become better at behaviour psychology, and in particular, in habit formation, I needed to read every piece of relevant literature that I could get my hands on.

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhig was the one I started with.  When you want to learn about habits, this book is a good starting point.

The books simplicity and its case studies are really perfect to learn about behaviour.  No psychology background needed.

Excellence is an art won by training and habituation.  We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly.  We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.  Aristotle

We are what we repeatedly do.  This quote really hits the nail on the head.  When you want to achieve any dream in your life, or want to change yourself, or design for a life according to your true values, you start with you.  With your habits.

A couple of years ago, I made a decision to change my life for the better, but where do you start?  When you are getting the same undesired result over and over, what do you change?

I believe you start with your habits.

What Is Charles Duhiggs The Power Of Habit About?

In The Power of Habit, Charles examines why some people and companies struggle to change despite years of trying, while others seem to remake themselves overnight.  This book depicts Charles’ exploratory journey of discovering habit formation in individuals, companies, and societies.

He visits laboratories where neuroscientists explore how habits work, and wherein our brain they reside.  He writes about the right habits that were crucial for Michael Phelps to become the best swimmer in history.

The book has three chapters.

In the first chapter, he explains with numerous impressive case studies how habits work in individuals, and how we can form new habits and break undesired behaviours.

In the second part, he dissects the habits of successful organisations.  This part is highly entertaining if you are into big business.  He deconstructs what habits big managers implant in companies, such as Us Steel or Ford, that separated them from their competitors.

In the third part of the book, he talks about how habits can change entire societies and cultures and discusses if free will exists at all if we are all controlled by the automated habits that we do each day.

What Are Habits?

What was the first thing you did this morning after you got up?  Did you check your phone?  Did you hop in the shower, checked your mail?  Did you grab a banana or a doughnut from your kitchen table?  Before you left your house to go to your work or university, did you brush your teeth before you took a shower or after?  What was the route you took to your destination?  When you arrived at your desk, did you first chat with your co-worker?  Did you recheck your phone?  Are you eating a kebab for lunch or a salad?  When you get home, where did you put your jacket?  What did you do with your shoes?  Did you hit the light switch with your left or your right hand?  Did you walk straight to your fridge or to your couch?  Where did you put your keys?  Back into your pocket or on a shelf?

When you took a dump, did you have to think a lot about what to do next?  No, right ?  You automatically reach for the toilet paper, and after you go to the sink, you do not have to think about washing your hands, it is automatic.  Ingrained in you, or as I prefer to say; you act out of habit.

All of the behaviour above are done without a lot of thought.  They are habits.  According to a study in 2006, researchers at Duke University found out that more than 40% of the behaviour we perform each day, is not actually as a result of us deciding consciously, but of habit. ( 1 )

This means that almost half of our life is lived on autopilot.  Crazy right!

It seems that habits emerge because the brain is continually looking for ways to save effort.  Think of your brain like a lazy bastard.  It wants to save as much effort as possible, so we have more energy for important tasks.

Our character is basically a composite of our habits.  Because they often consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily express our character“.  Stephan Covey

Habits are the routines and behaviours that we do automatically.  We actually need habits to carry out necessary activities such as brushing our teeth, washing our hands after peeing, getting dressed for university, or following the same route to work every day without having to think about it.

This fantastic feature allows us to focus on more complex and vital tasks, such as deciding consciously, where your next vacation is going to be!

Your brain has only limited ram, so, it has to save memory as much as it can pretty much like your phone.

I believe that we humans are basically habit machines.

Think of your brain as a smartphone.  Habits are the apps on your phone.  Think of the possibilities of a smartphone for a second.

Person A uses their smartphone to play candy crush, flappy bird, and Facebook, or binge on Netflix or YouTube.

Person B uses downloaded Evernote, Duolingo, Trello, and Telegram, and uses their smartphone to thrive.

Both phones are capable of the same feats, but the first person installed lousy software on their brains, and Person B has chosen its brain programmes a bit wiser.  Their results, however, are like day and night.

I believe that mastering the essential mechanisms of behavioural psychology and habit formation, allows you to download brain software and delete bad habit apps from your brain.

I believe that there are only two kinds of habits: Positive Habits and Negative Habits.  A negative habit, for me, is a reoccurring behaviour that is not aligning with your true values and is keeping you from living according to your desired life design.  A typical example would be smoking.

Therefore, it is essential to learn how to form positive habits and to learn how to break bad habits and replace them with positive habits.

Mastering habit formation is really a superpower, in my opinion, and it gives you the freedom to decide who you really want to be.

Who is Charles Duhigg?

Charles Duhigg is a reporter for the New York Times and for the magazine.  Charles is a graduate of Harvard Business School and Yale University.  Before becoming a journalist, Charles worked in private equity.

Charles is the author of The Power of Habit, which is about habit formation in individuals, companies, and societies, and Smarter Faster Better, about the science of productivity.

He won a Pulitzer and contributed to other award-winning series such as Golden Opportunities, The Reckoning, and Toxic Waters.

Who Recommended It?

Among many others, Jim Collins, and various big magazines.

Few [books] become essential manuals for business and living. The Power of Habit  is an exception. Charles Duhigg not only explains how habits are formed but how to kick bad ones and hang on to the good”. — Financial Times

4 Important Concepts In The Power Of Habit

1) the habit loop.

Charles created a formula for how behaviour works that is actually pretty simple and easy to understand.

Any behaviour, habit, or routine can be analysed in three parts according to Duhigg: the Reminder, the Routine, and the Reward.

The reminder is also often known as the cue or trigger.  The cue acts as the signal, it triggers the automated routine, which leads to a reward.  So, the process of forming new habits is a three-step loop:

• Reminder – a trigger that signals your brain to go into automatic mode, and which habit it has to use.
• Routine – this is the actual behaviour; it can be physical or mental. If you do something, there was a trigger beforehand.
• Reward – that is the thing that you get from doing the habit. Your brain needs rewards to figure out what behaviour and what loops are worth remembering for the future.

Story from me: I used to procrastinate a lot while studying.

Let us say I had a seminar about statistics, something which to this day bores the heck out of me.  As soon as I saw my professor, I yawned.  The Statistic Professor was my cue .  As soon as he would turn around, I would get out my phone and start checking my Facebook or Instagram.  This was the routine/behaviour .  The reward was that I got distracted and that I had some little spike of dopamine in my brain from hearing a funny stupid joke from my friends.  Also, for me, statistics was pain.  Getting a temporary stop from pain is the same as getting a reward.

I was satisfying my short-term gratification.  This, of course, did not help me in the long term at all because statistics gets infinitely more boring and more painful if you suck at it.  So, this small habit of procrastinating contributed to me falling more and more behind.

So, although a habit has a reward that protects you temporarily, it often hurts you in the long term.  This is how you can often detect bad habits.  A recurring behaviour that is good for you in the short term, but has tremendously negative consequences for you in the long term.

Again, for me, a bad habit is a habit that temporarily gives you something, but is hurting you in a crazy way long term.  Smoking gives you stress reduction, but also cancer.  So that is a bad habit cost equation.

2. The Golden Rule Of Habit Change

Now that you know how habits are formed, how can you change them ?!

We have all failed at changing or forming new habits.  Maybe you made some new year’s resolutions about changing your weight, or that you want to stop smoking, or finally learn a new language.

But where do you start?

The good news is that habit formation is a skill, and Charles Duhigg and many others have found great ways to break this down for us normal people.

In the Power of Habit, Charles presents a very simple model that aims at habit substitution.

The core of the idea of habit substitution, or habit swapping, is that you look for different ways to get the same emotional reward.  For example, you are triggered to have a smoke because you crave the reward of stress reduction.  Now, instead of putting a cancer stick in your mouth, you do a breathing exercise or meditate to reduce your stress.

The idea is that you become creative and find better ways to satisfy your needs.

3) Habits Are Formed Through Emotions

Our behaviour is motivated by emotional rewards.  When you look at the habit loop, it is powered by the reward.  All we do in life is to either avoid pain or to seek pleasure. To change your habits, it is key that you understand the return of a behaviour.  Each behaviour is motivated by the return, reward, or the positive emotion at the end of the habit loop.

We can use this knowledge to form new habits and get rid of the old ones.  If you want to make a new habit stick, let us say a workout routine in the morning, you must pair it with a positive emotion.  Loving what you do enables you to trick your brain into craving that behaviour.

Habits are really formed through positive reinforcement.  Where humans excel, in my opinion, is that we all are constantly learning whether we like this or not.  Everything that is rewarded is repeated .  We are hard-wired to repeat everything that gives us pleasure and avoid anything that gives us discomfort and pain.  Everything we do is really to get a certain emotion.

I believe that everything we desire, actions, things, other humans, trips, acknowledgements, and goals all have in common that we really do not seek the subject itself, but the emotion behind it.  We do not want to get rich; we believe that we feel amazing when we will be rich, we do not crave money, but the promised emotion behind money.

Taking control of this process will put you in charge.  If you want to form a new behaviour, you link massive pleasure to that behaviour or subject.  People who are successful in forming the right kind of habits are very aware of this process.

If you immediately reinforce a behaviour, you are more likely to repeat it because your brain will want to re-experience that pleasureful emotion.

The same goes for the opposite emotion: pain.

If we link strong discomfort, and pain to a behaviour, we are hard-wired not to repeat that behaviour.

If you loved sushi for years, but you ate bad sushi once, and you got severe food poisoning, you may very well never have fun with sushi again.

Ever had such a bad hangover from an alcoholic beverage that just the smell of it gives you the shivers?  For me, it is tequila.  It gives me the shivers to just write about.  I accidentally conditioned myself that when I drink tequila, bad stuff happens.

What I am saying is that we humans can learn extremely fast.

What I Learned From The Power Of Habit

I love the simplicity of Charles Duhiggs, The Power of Habit.  The thing that I internalised the most was that there is a rewarding emotion behind every habit.

And bad habits, in particular, are a treasure trove of information about our true needs.  I looked at some of my bad habits and evaluated very honestly why this behaviour was important to me, and why I  had trouble just stopping that habit.

For years I had trouble getting out of bed in the morning.  I eventually just thought that I am not a morning person, but then I started to deconstruct this habit.

What was this habit giving me?  It turned out that I was not happy during that time, and I linked pain to the job that I had during.  So, having a delay of 20 minutes was my emotional reward.

To hack this, I substituted the habit of snoozing with meditation.  It also gave me a buffer of 20 minutes, but it made me happier at the same time.  It shifted the focus to me and made me realise that the shitty job that I had at that time was giving me the money to go after my dream and travel to South America.

This helped me to link less pain in getting up, and snoozing was less attractive to me.

So, if you have bad habits in your life, like smoking, drinking, distracting yourself, or procrastinating, ask yourself if there is a less harmful way to give yourself the reward.

Understanding why we do things gives us the means to alter the course of our behaviour, and I believe that changing our behaviour will put us in a place of power.  The power to decide what person we want to be, and with it, the power to decide what life we want to have.

This, to me, is the Power of Habit.

What Did I Not Like?

In The Power of Habit, Charles does a poor job of emphasising that it is an emotion that powers the habit loop, not rewards.  Rewards make it sound like the bonus at the end of a working year is motivating behaviour.  Again, it is an immediate reinforcement that makes us learn new behaviour.

I had the privilege to study habits under Professor BJ Fogg from Stanford University, who is the world-leading expert in habit formation, and this was one of the biggest differences between their two psychological philosophies.

But, I think The Power of Habit does a great job at explaining behaviour psychology for people who are not familiar with the topic.

And, the best model, in my opinion, is the model that people understand.

• https://charlesduhigg.com/
• www.tinyhabitsacademy.com

Call to Action

• Deconstruct one of your habits and draw a habit loop for it.
• Do the same for a bad habit of yours.
• Now think of a different behaviour that will get the same reward, but healthier.
• Ask yourself, what habits do you need to develop over the course of the next three months to achieve your dream goal

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Book Summary: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

🖊 This article was last updated on October 3, 2019

Introduction

You can’t change what you’re not aware of.

The same thing goes with shifting habits: Understanding how habits are formed allows us to work with our biology to create positive routines.

As you read Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business , you’ll realize that you don’t have to exhaust your willpower to get things done. You can use your biology to automate good routines and override destructive habits.

Aside from staying on the New York Times best-seller list for two years , The Power of Habit was named one of the best books of the year by the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times. Cartoonist and author Scott Adams also recommended the book in his Persuasion Reading List .

Below is a quick summary of The Power of Habit , as well as my key takeaways and favorite quotes. I hope these inspire you to leverage the habit loop to fuel your personal and entrepreneurial success.

The Golden Rule of Habit Change: You can’t extinguish a bad habit, you can only change it. Charles Duhigg

Book Chapters

The book is divided into three parts: the habits of individuals, organizations, and societies. One thing I loved about this book is it starts off with the basics–a research-backed understanding of why and how our brains form habits. From here, Duhigg discusses strategies we can easily use to create or change our habits.

Part 1: The Habits of Individuals

• The Habit Loop: How Habits Work
• The Craving Brain: How to Create New Habits
• The Golden Rule of Habit Change: Why Transformation Occurs

Part 2: The Habits of Succesful Organizations

• Keystone Habits, or the Ballad of Paul O’Neill: Which Habits Matter Most
• Starbucks and the Habit of Success: When Willpower Becomes Automatic
• The Power of a Crisis: How Leaders Create Habits Through Accident and Design
• How Target Knows What You Want Before You Do: When Companies Predict (and Manipulate) Habits

Part 3: The Habits of Societies

• Saddleback Church and the Montgomery Bus Boycott: How Movements Happen
• The Neurology of Free Will: Are We Responsible for Our Habits?

The Power of Habit Summary

Part 1: individual habits.

According to scientists, our habits are made up of three parts–the cue, routine, and reward . This is the habit loop . Each part plays a critical role: the cue serves as the trigger, telling the brain what action to take. Then there’s the routine, which is the action or behavior we take. Lastly, rewards refer to the pleasure we feel after doing our routine.

This process of turning a set of actions into a habit is called chunking . A part of our brain–the basal ganglia–stores these patterns, so they run automatically with little brain effort. With these habits in place, we no longer have to think about our every move.

Now we know why we can, almost without thinking, drive back home, brush our teeth, or make our coffee, even as a million things are running through our head.

But there’s a key ingredient that cements a habit, which Duhigg discusses in chapter 2 : cravings . Once we get a cue, our brains automatically crave the reward.

This has some biological significance. Getting a reward at the end of your routine tells the brain the action is worth repeating. But if the reward is removed, that tells our brain it might not be worth doing again.

So if we want to change a habit, it’s important to create a craving, or at least to mentally crave the reward.

Duhigg follows this with “The Golden Rule of Habit Change” in Chapter 3 . We all know that getting rid of an old, deeply ingrained habit is pretty hard for anyone. If we want to change a habit, we need to shift only the routine, and retain the same cue and reward. And just as important, we’ve got to believe that change is possible.

Let’s say for example when your alarm goes off at 6 a.m. (cue), you just roll in bed and stay for another half hour (routine), before getting up to make your coffee (reward). If you want to include exercise into your day, you need not change the cue (alarm) and the reward (coffee), but only the routine. Instead of rolling in bed, you get up and run around the block, all the while thinking of your favorite cup of coffee.

Part 2 talks about organization habits, citing a few studies plus examples from organizations such as Alcoa (Aluminum Company of America), Starbucks, and Target.

In Chapter 4 , Duhigg introduces keystone habits –those habits that have a domino effect. In a weight loss study, keeping a food journal helped obese participants track times when they eat unhealthy snacks. They then used these insights to plan healthier meals. Eventually, those who maintained their food journals lost more weight than the control group.

Chapter 5 talks about willpower . Willpower can be developed, but like our muscles, willpower can be depleted.  To build willpower, it is important to identify or anticipate the most painful points, and then have a plan how to beat these.

In the case of Starbucks, managers trained their baristas how to handle stressful situations. When the baristas finally had to deal with an angry customer, the LATTE routine ( l isten to customer – a cknowledge the complaint – t ake action by solving the problem – t hank the customer – e xplain why the problem occurred) automatically kicked in.

If you want to do something that requires willpower—like going for a run after work—you have to conserve your willpower muscle during the day. Charles Duhigg

In Chapter 6 , Duhigg shows how habits can be used to maintain peace in organizations, from avoiding turf battles to managing internal conflicts. Duhigg also cites examples of how crises revealed gaps in companies’ systems, and led to important changes in company policies.

At the end of Part 2 , Duhigg discusses how companies predict and manipulate consumers’ habits ( Chapter 7 ). Companies often leverage psychology to increase sales–from the way goods are arranged in supermarkets, to customizing deals sent to customers based on their purchase history.   

Companies can target customers subtly by inserting the new deal (such as baby items if they think you are pregnant) in between coupons for familiar items such as soap. This strategy illustrates the concept Duhigg explains in chapter 3, on how old cues can lead to new routines.

In Part 3 of the book, Duhigg discusses habits of societies, touching on how social movements lead to change, beginning with close friendships and the habit of helping friends, until the cause spreads beyond the inner circle.

Lastly, he talks about the neurology of free will in Chapter 9 , which poses a question: Are we morally responsible for our habits?

Duhigg cites the case of a man suffering from sleep terror when he killed his wife, and a woman who got into debt due to her gambling addiction.

The man who killed his wife in his sleep could not be held accountable for his action, because he was not conscious nor could he anticipate when the sleep terror would happen. The gambling addict, on the other hand, was aware of her behavior and did not take sufficient steps to curb her addiction.

My Key Takeaways

• Changing a habit doesn’t have to be a Herculean task. We start with what we already have: a cue and a reward, and only shift the routine.
• To fuel a new habit, we need to identify our cravings, and leverage those. For example, if we want to start using the Pomodoro techniqu e to be more productive, and we love watching YouTube videos, we can use the videos as our reward.
• Though keystone habits and willpower are discussed under organizational habits, these concepts are useful for our individual habits too. Instead of overhauling our routines, we can start identifying a keystone habit–a small win–that can lead to a series of simple victories in our lives. It can be as simple as keeping a daily gratitude journal, parking further from our office to force ourselves to exercise a bit, or keeping our phones on silent mode while we work.

We can identify our pain points ahead of time–the difficulties we’d encounter, the things that may keep us from following through–and have a plan for addressing those.

Habits can be changed, if we understand how they work. Charles Duhigg

Who’s It for

Anyone struggling to change a bad habit or create a new one will appreciate this book. Knowing the biology behind our habits allows us to utilize our brain’s abilities to automate and incentivize positive routines.

Students, employees, solopreneurs, team leaders, and marketers can pick up new strategies from Duhigg’s book to better implement changes in their personal lives, and influence the habits of their subordinates and clients.

My 5 Favorite Quotes

This process within our brains is a three-step loop. First, there is a cue, a trigger that tells your brain to go into automatic mode and which habit to use. Then there is the routine, which can be physical or mental or emotional. Finally, there is a reward, which helps your brain figure out if this particular loop is worth remembering for the future.

When a habit emerges, the brain stops fully participating in decision making. It stops working so hard, or diverts focus to other tasks. So unless you deliberately fight a habit—unless you find new routines—the pattern will unfold automatically.

Want to exercise more? Choose a cue, such as going to the gym as soon as you wake up, and a reward, such as a smoothie after each workout. Then think about that smoothie, or about the endorphin rush you’ll feel. Allow yourself to anticipate the reward. Eventually, that craving will make it easier to push through the gym doors every day.

Keystone habits offer what is known within academic literature as ‘small wins.’ They help other habits to flourish by creating new structures, and they establish cultures where change becomes contagious.

This is how willpower becomes a habit: by choosing a certain behavior ahead of time, and then following that routine when an inflection point arrives. </p>

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The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg | Book Review 

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg is one of the most important books of our times. The book not only blows your mind with groundbreaking research but also opens doors to new possibilities. If I had this book in my hands in college, my life would’ve been way different than what it is today. Not that I regret anything in life, but simply because I could’ve reached where I am much faster.

The Power of Habit tries to find and present answers to such deeper questions. The book deals with some of the most intrinsic aspects of human behaviour, giving lucid and interesting explanations. With more than two million copies sold, Charles Duhigg’s masterpiece is practically changing lives across the globe. Let’s find out why.

Summary of The Power of Habit

Duhigg starts The Power of Habit with the story of Lisa Allen. Lisa was a girl who started drinking and smoking early and was deep into debt. However, something happened to her that transformed her completely. The woman was smoking, binge-eating, drinking, pounding on her ex-husband’s door, and threatening to kill his girlfriend. 

After four months of emotional turmoil, Lisa Allen was set on a journey to the Pyramids of Giza. While on her trip, the troubled woman decided to change one habit – quit smoking. Life was never the same again for her. That’s what the author discusses first, a “keystone habit” that helps reprogram the general routines of one’s life. 

The Power Habit is divided into three parts, each addressing the habits of a unique set of people. Duhigg builds up the book brick by brick, connecting one aspect to the other. Thus, The Power of Habit is a finely tailored suit that fits beautifully for every reader out there. To analyze the book, we must summarise each part, for every chapter in the book is a lesson in life. 

Part One: The Habits of Individuals 

The first part of The Power of Habit deals with the role habits plays in the lives of individuals. The author gives a great insight into the habits of multiple individuals, interviewing some of the biggest experts in the field. This is further divided into three sections, which Duhigg uses to discuss how habits are formed in individuals and how they affect their lives. 

Habit Loop 

The first concept Duhigg discusses is the ‘ Habit Loop. ’ In simple terms, the concept refers to a cycle at the end of which a person commits a certain act as a habit. The habit loop is based on three elements – cue, routine, and reward. The cue is something that triggers a person to commit a certain act, a routine, that results in a certain reward for that person. 

The Craving Brain 

‘ The Craving Brain ’ is the second concept Dugigg discusses in the first part. According to research presented by the author, every habit of an individual stems from a craving that triggers as soon as the person comes across the cue. Duhigg argues that cravings play a vital role in developing new habits, as the habit loop itself relies heavily on the craving. 

The Golden Rule 

The third concept Duhigg discusses in the first part is ‘ The Golden Rule ’ – bad habits don’t extinguish but can be changed. Duhigg argues that bad habits can be altered using the same clue and reward. The author uses the example of legendary American football coach Tony Dungy to demonstrate a small change in the routine in the habit loop can help convert a bad habit into a beneficial one, yielding tremendous results on the field and in life. 

Part Two: The Habits of Successful Organizations

The second part of The Power of Habit deals with organizational habits in great detail. The book brings forward ground-breaking research that shows how corporations instil new habits in their employees. Duhigg also shows how corporations manipulate the habits of their customers and use them to maximize revenue and become successful. 

Keystone Habits 

In the first section, Duhigg speaks about ‘ Keystone Habits ’ that drive organizational growth and success. A keystone habit is something that can create transitional change in the life of an organization by triggering a series of changes. Duhigg cites the example of how Paul O’Neil’s quest to aim for zero injuries helped Alcoa become an exemplar of excellence. Following his arrival for the top job at Alcoa, O’Neil’s primary objective was to ensure that the company adopted the best safety measure, which triggered radical changes essential for growth. 

Habit of Success 

‘ Habit of Success ’ is the second section, presenting the most interesting insights in the book. Using the example of how Starbucks instituted unparalleled customer service, Duhigg shows how developing habits for tackling pressure situations can bring organizational success. When a customer starts yelling, a young barista could easily panic. But if the barista develops a habit of responding to angry customers, handling the situation can become a cakewalk. It’s all about a thousand pressure situations and a habit to tackle each of them that alleviates the game for a successful organization.

Power of Crisis 

The third section talks about ‘ The Power of Crisis .’ Duhigg presents the argument that every crisis has the potential to bring about revolutionary changes as it pushes for changes in habits. The example of the Rhode Island Hospital debacle shows how a lack of appropriate habits can make an organization dysfunctional and prone to errors. And with every example, the author shows how the crisis helped the management come up with radical changes that helped cope with the tragedies and thrive in them. 

How Companies Know What You Want 

The final section of the second part discusses ‘ How Companies Know What You Want. ’ Duhigg presents an intriguing study revolving around the behavioural patterns of buyers at supermarkets. Target, one of the largest departmental store chains in the United States, used computational data analytics to scrutinize people’s life. The company collected terabytes of customer data every year via emails, credit cards, redeemable coupons, etc., which it then analyzed to identify the need of their customer. 

Part Three: The Habits of Societies

Human beings live in communion and develop habits on a societal scale. Therefore, the book details societal habits that initiated change on a mass level. Duhigg presents interesting case studies that help the reader learn the smaller details of landmark historical moments. Further, the book discusses how habits are formed and how we can control them.

How Movements Happen 

In the third part of The Power of Habit , Charles Duhigg presents an in-depth review of one of the greatest social movements in American history – the Civil Rights Movement. The author gives the incident of Rosa Parks being arrested and the start of the Montgomery bus boycott. While the Civil Rights Movement may have no connection to the book’s central theme, Duhigg analyzes a society’s habits and why it reacts to certain things the way it does. The first section also sheds light on how our actions and habits are driven by peer pressure and societal expectations. 

Are We Responsible for Our Habits?

Charles Duhigg’s most fascinating analysis in The Power of Habit comes in this section, where the author dissects habits frowned upon by society. One of the societal evils Duhigg presents is the habit of gambling and how families get destroyed by it. The book highlights the role of the social environment that compels addicts to acquire evil habits unconsciously. Likewise, the book also discusses uncontrollable habits triggered by certain cues, which doesn’t make them responsible irrespective of the outcome. 

How to Use The Power of Habit ?

The best thing about Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit is that it also gives the readers a practical outline at the end to use the lessons presented. Duhigg prescribes a four-step procedure to utilize the book, which is as follows:

Step 1: Identify the Routine

Citing the research presented in the first part, Duhigg states that understanding the habit loop is the first step for changing your bad habits. Identify the cue-routine-reward pattern, which would later help you replace your bad habits with new ones. The author argues that identifying routines vis-a-vis the habit loop is the key to changing behaviour. 

Step 2: Experiment with Rewards

The second step Duhigg recommends is two experiments with the reward that you receive at the end of the habit loop. A great part of the book proves that rewards play the ultimate role in satisfying cravings. Duhigg presents various combinations that readers can replicate to alter their routines, and each one of them is practical for almost everyone. Experimenting with the routine will lead to identifying the actual reward you are seeking.

Step 3: Isolate the Cue

After identifying routines and rewards, you need to identify the cues that trigger the habits. Duhigg cites credible experiments which classify habitual cues into five categories – location, time, emotional state, other people, and immediately preceding action. Building on these experiments, the book mentions a few activities that help you track down the habit cues. 

Step 4: Have a Plan

The final stage in the procedure is to have a plan to adjust the routines, rewards, and cues you have identified. Duhigg calls these plans “implementation intentions,” which would allow the readers to re-engineer the cue-routine-reward formula for every habit they which to replace. The book also mentions a couple of useful examples that will help build plans and simple techniques to execute them. 

Final Thoughts on The Power of Habit

The Power of Habit is probably the best book one can read if they’re serious about taking charge of their life. The best thing about the book is that it’s simple, not in concept but in presentation. The case studies, the derivations, and the concepts are easy to comprehend for readers of all ages. I strongly recommend The Power of Habit to all those fascinated by the human psyche. 

The only shortcoming that I felt the book held was that for its detailed explanation of habits at different levels, it has a surprisingly short space for execution. Though I think the Reader’s Guide to Using These Ideas is quite effective, it should have been a tad more detailed or elaborative. 

Language and Readability  

Another great thing about The Power of Habit is its language and readability, which makes the book a pleasing work of literature. Charles Duhigg’s literary prowess and analytical skills as a journalist combine to offer not only great insights into the psychology of habits but also a literary treat. Duhigg presents the stories of various individuals as fine as intriguing plots of famous novels. You’d never want to put the book down. 

About the Author

Charles Duhigg is an American Journalist and a former news reporter for The New York Times . Duhigg was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting in 2013. Born in New Mexico, the 48-year-old writer graduated from Yale University and completed his MBA from Harvard Business School. Other than The New York Times , Duhigg has also worked with Los Angeles Times . Currently, he writes for various publications, including The New Yorker Magazine . 

The Power Habit: Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change (2012) was Duhigg’s debut book, which turned out to be an international bestseller. The author’s only other book, Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business, came out in 2016.

Check Out – The Muslim Vanishes by Saeed Naqvi – Book Review

Noman Shaikh is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Bombay Reads. He grew up in Mumbai, a city he loves more than any other, and currently works as a content consultant. His expertise lies in creating high-quality academic and marketing content in the form of blogs, articles, op-eds, etc. Noman has worked with reputed brands, including Economic Times (through Spiral Media), Coinbase (through MattsenKumar), AdEngage, Della Group, GBIM Technologies,  VAP Group, etc. For his published portfolio, click here . Contact Noman on noman@bombayreads for engagement.

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• Jan 26, 2022

Review for "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg

*workbook in progress*.

I am still catching up on creating workbooks for the previous books I posted questions for - including this one. All questions will remain available to you here in the meantime!

Intro to the Review

We have all had the experience of enthusiastically starting a new book only to realize that it is not what were expecting. The purpose of the following review is not to express my opinion on whether the book is "good" or "bad." I expect most of the books I read to be "good," Whether or not it is the right book for you is another question entirely. My goal for this and every review I write is to help you decide whether this book would be a good fit for you.

Here are some questions for you to consider:

Does it seem like the content covered in this book aligns with what I was expecting to find?

Is the main problem addressed in this book similar to my own goal for what I would like to get from reading it?

Is the style and format written in a way that will not hinder my ability to get the most value from this book?

Am I the intended audience for this book?

If after reading the review, you can answer yes to all these questions, there's a pretty good chance this book is the right fit for you. If not, well, there are plenty more books out there just waiting for you to read them.

The Power of Habit

Why we do what we do in life and business, charles duhigg.

Ⓒ 2014 Random House

"If you believe you can change - if you make it a habit - the change becomes real."

Pick up where you left off:.

Afterword & Appendix

Vocabulary List

Book review, author background.

Charles Duhigg is a non-fiction writer and journalist currently writing for The New Yorker Magazine and previously for the New York Times.

His other book Smarter Faster Better, published in 2016, can be found here (affiliate link).

His website can be found here .

What Problem Does This Book Attempt To Address?

In The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg explores the common factors present in all habits and the relationship between these factors. Duhigg proposes that we can consciously and actively manipulate these factors in order to change and improve our habits. He uses a range of examples to demonstrate how habits shape the lives of individuals, organizations, and society at large.

· Concept explanation: Clear and understandable

· Related stories: Many

· Data references and studies: Average

· Charts and graphics: Diagrams throughout

· Practical application: Decent

I read this book for the first time a year or so after it was published and I found it incredibly interesting and useful. I remember it as being one of my favorite books at the time. So when I decided to re-read it in order to make discussion questions for the blog, I had some pretty rose-tinted expectations. I was pretty underwhelmed this time around. I do wonder whether or not that is because many of the stories he used weren’t as overused as they are now 7 years later. But aside from that, I didn’t find the sections about organizational or societal habits very convincing. It felt like he found a framework and was determined to make these situations fit the framework. I believe there are probably better examples to support his argument than the ones he decided on. The framework for the components of what comprises a habit, how habits are formed, how they function on a neurophysiological level is all excellent. I had no problem with how it was applied in terms of how an individual shapes and can re-shape their habits. It was the other two sections I found a little hard to believe. Appendix A at the end of the book brought this book up a rating in my view. It is a step-by-step guide and practical application for readers looking to change a habit. It adds a lot of value to the overall work.

Writing Style & Presentation

· Tone: Story-telling narrative

· Organization: Average

· Flow: Average

More than anything I found this book to be a collection of heart-warming stories. And the author without a doubt has an incredible ability to tell stories in a captivating and engrossing way. Like many books, he decided to split many of the stories into different parts with other shorter stories in between. I understand this is a common organizational decision for these types of books, but I am not a huge fan of it as it takes away from the flow at times. It is like making your reader multi-task for no reason.

Bringing It all Together

One thing done really well: The story-telling ability of the author

One thing that could be better: The application of the main concept to all the primary examples used throughout each of the 3 parts.

One main thing I took away from this book was: Our habits are malleable with a bit of investigation and experimentation to figure out what each part of the habit loop are and how we can modify them to create the behaviors and outcomes we want.

Overall Recommendation

Who I would recommend this book for : Someone who is just getting into non-fiction self-improvement books and looking for an inspiring read.

Who I wouldn’t recommend this book for: Someone who is familiar with the genre and read other books on the topic.

Discussion Questions

Which brain structure controls more primitive brain functions?

Which brain structure is integral in habit formation and execution?

What is chunking?

What happens to brain activity after a routine becomes familiar?

Why do habits emerge?

How does the brain deal with uncertainty?

What is the three-step habit loop?

Why is it necessary to deliberately fight a habit in order to change it?

What happens to old habits in the brain after new habits are formed?

What happens to someone with a damaged basal ganglia?

What are some examples of cues?

What factor makes cues and rewards work?

What are the two basic rules for forming a habit?

What happened to Julio’s reward pattern after his habit loop was created?

What does this change in pattern indicate has formed?

What must we do to overpower a habit?

What drives habits and how can we use it to create new habits?

What must be done to change a current bad habit?

How does AA help members create new habits?

How do life stressors impact habit replacement efforts?

What is the significance of belief in the habit-changing process?

What two things often proceed radical life changes?

When is belief easier?

What is the Golden Rule of habit change?

What is a keystone habit and why are they important?

What is characteristic of a keystone habit?

Why are small wins important?

What has the biggest effect on academic performance?

What long-term correlations were found in children who passed the marshmallow test?

The radish/cookie study gave us what insights into how willpower works?

What effect on outcome does writing down goals have?

How does willpower become a habit?

How does having a sense of control impact willpower?

What does routine provide within a company?

How does routine impact innovation?

How does routine create truces?

What is the benefit of organizational habits?

What dangers can truces present?

How can crises be used to remake organizational habits?

How do habits affect customer purchasing decisions?

What is the purpose of predictive analytics?

Why do our brains have a preference for the familiar?

What is the easiest way to get the public to accept something new?

How can social habits be applied to create societal change?

Why are weak-tie acquaintances important?

What happens to social movements within cliques?

How does peer pressure impact social movements?

What two things must be present for widespread social change to begin?

What are the arguments for and against a habit loop and culpability in a crime?

What role does the basal ganglia play in night terrors?

How do pathological gamblers react to near misses?

What part of the brain is impacted by addiction?

Why is it possible to overcome an addiction?

What creates the worlds that each of us inhabit?

Afterword and Appendix

Why is it important to plan for relapses?

What process is critical in long-term habit change?

What is the 4-step framework for changing a habit?

What must you do to understand your habits?

How do figure out which cravings are driving a habit?

What effect does setting an alarm have in identifying cravings?

What are the 5 categories that habitual cues can fall into?

How are implementation intentions used to change a habit?

These are words I noticed while reading that some people may be unfamiliar with. Use the worksheet to customize this list for yourself.

Facile : (adj.) Done or achieved with little effort or difficulty; easy.

Internecine: (adj.) Involving conflict within a group

Discussion Question Workbook

The workbook that accompanies this post includes:

All discussion questions with space for writing answers

All vocabulary words with space to write definitions and add your own words

Chapter reflection questions

Final reflection questions

A condensed list of all discussion questions, for reference.

You can download this complimentary workbook for free:

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Book Review: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

It’s no secret that changing a habit is hard work. In the best selling book, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business author Charles Duhigg explains the science behind habits (good or bad). After you get a good idea of why a person exhibits the behavior that they do, he dives in and discusses what it takes to “change” a habit. Throughout the book are diagrams and images that show why humans get stuck doing the things they do. Duhigg calls this the “habit loop” where people have a cue, routine, and a reward. One can’t exist without the other, which is why habits are so hard to break.

The framework of the habit loop starts with identifying the routine, experiment with the reward, and then isolating the cue. After you’ve identified all three, Duhigg walks you through how to create a plan that will make it so you can eventually change the habit. Duhigg’s Golden Rule of Habit Change states, “You can’t extinguish a bad habit, you can only change it.” It won’t happen overnight, but with time and patience, you can do it. And certainly when it comes to a bad habit, like smoking, you’ll really need to be kind to yourself!

One thing that makes The Power of Habit stand out from other self-help books is all of the research and science Duhigg includes to back up his method of how to improve behavior. While discussing the importance of small wins, he cites a paper from 1984 by Cornell professor who says, “Small wins are a steady application of a small advantage. Once a small win has been accomplished, forces are set in motion that favor another small win.” Using this research, Duhigg teaches more about the significance of small wins being a way to fuel transformative changes. Everything is thoroughly discussed and is easy to understand. Throughout his book, he helps people to see that they can reach their end goal if they continue to work hard at it.

Duhigg gives examples about how to apply his rules for habit change in business using Starbucks and Target as an example. At one point, he points out when Starbucks, after years of being praised as one of the best customer services business available, all of a sudden changed for the worse. In a study by the University of Albany, they figured out that when people are treated to feel like they are in control, they’ll do a better job at work. This discovery led to a new way Starbucks trains its employees. Once they implemented new habits, their service improved. It is this type of research that can help other companies become successful.

The Power of Habit is one book that everyone should pick up. Because let’s face  it, we all have habits that we’d like to change and the information Duhigg provides is priceless. As in the case of Starbucks looking to improve their business, many other professionals would love to create new patterns to be more productive at work. If you need extra help to learn how to do so, our Personal Productivity Course teaches you strategies and offers tips that are sure to create new habits. Click to learn more!

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The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg: Book Review

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Alex Turner

Dive into the fascinating world of habits and their profound impact on our lives with Charles Duhigg’s thought-provoking book, “The Power of Habit.” Discover the science behind our routines, why we do what we do, and how we can harness the power of habits to transform our behavior.

In “The Power of Habit,” Charles Duhigg explores the science of habit formation, delving into how habits work, why they exist, and how they can be changed. Through real-life examples from individuals to corporations, Duhigg illustrates the power of habits in shaping our lives, behaviors, and successes. From personal development to organizational change, this book offers insights into how understanding and manipulating habits can lead to profound transformations.

Duhigg masterfully weaves together scientific research and compelling storytelling to demystify the intricate mechanisms of habit formation. His exploration of the habit loop (cue, routine, reward) provides a clear framework for understanding why habits develop and persist. The inclusion of real-life stories, such as the transformation of Alcoa under Paul O’Neill’s leadership, vividly demonstrates the practical applications of habit change in different contexts.

One aspect I particularly appreciated was Duhigg’s emphasis on the ability to change habits by identifying cues and rewards, as showcased in the narrative of Lisa Allen’s weight loss journey. By breaking down complex behavioral patterns into these components, Duhigg offers readers a practical guide to initiating personal change.

What Makes the Book Unique

“The Power of Habit” stands out for its blend of empirical research, engaging narratives, and actionable insights. Duhigg skillfully combines scientific studies with captivating anecdotes, making the subject of habits accessible and relatable to a wide audience. Additionally, the book’s exploration of habits in diverse settings, from individuals to organizations, underscores the pervasive influence of habits in our lives.

Furthermore, Duhigg’s emphasis on the malleability of habits and the possibility of harnessing them for personal and professional growth sets this book apart. By illustrating how habits can be rewired through the introduction of new routines, Duhigg offers a fresh perspective on behavior change that is both empowering and practical.

“The Power of Habit” is a compelling exploration of the profound impact that habits have on our lives and how we can leverage this knowledge for personal transformation. With a captivating blend of scientific research and engaging stories, Charles Duhigg provides readers with a roadmap for understanding and reshaping their habits. Whether you are looking to break a bad habit, improve your productivity, or drive organizational change, this book offers valuable insights and strategies. I highly recommend “The Power of Habit” to anyone interested in understanding the mechanics of behavior and harnessing the power of habits for positive change.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

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[Book Review]: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

With these simple yet convincing theories from author charles duhigg in the power of habit, you’ll realize many important values ​​in life that you may be missing out on. this is not only a new york times bestseller, recommended by business insider but also a book that many famous billionaires have read to succeed on their way. if you’re looking to practice positive habits that lead to success, this book is a perfect choice for you..

Photo Credit: youtube.com

Charles Duhigg is a famous American journalist born in 1964. He has been a reporter for the New York Times since 2006 and is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. The book was on the New York Times bestseller list for 40 weeks and remains to this day one of the best books on changing human behavior. The book was born with the purpose of helping readers understand themselves through their perception and attitude towards everyday habits . In the minds of many people, habits only belong to personal life and are more or less influenced by emotions, so they become an essential factor. Habits are more influential and important than you think. The profound effects of every problem often come from the little things we overlook. 

According to author Charles Duhigg, habits are simple suggestion-activity-reward loops that save effort and stamina . He wants to introduce you to the very important 3-step process of forming a habit. First, it is receiving information or when you are influenced by external factors. These new things will stimulate brain activity, from which the brain begins to evaluate the appropriate course of action. The next step is to maintain this habit every day. Like how you automatically wake up at 6 am if you form the habit of sleeping at 10 pm every day. The final step in the process is forming that habit. For example, forming the habit of eating vegetables every day results in good health. Every habit leads to good or bad results, so you need to practice good habits and eliminate bad habits. The reason to create a habit is that it gives you a sense of victory as if you have achieved your goal. Changing bad habits into good habits will help you change other aspects of your life to be more positive.

With the basic rules and theories from author Charles Duhigg in The Power of Habit, you will recognize many priceless lessons in life on the journey of conquering success. Good habits will always be an important companion in life. The habit loop theory outlined in the book will make it easier to focus on the habits that matter most. Knowing how to organize the things you will do, you will have no trouble forming a habit.

This is a book you must read once in your life to get yourself motivated, inspired to change and improve as well as form better habits.

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The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business Kindle Edition

• Print length 392 pages
• Language English
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• Publisher Random House
• Publication date February 28, 2012
• File size 19445 KB
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com review, q&a with charles duhigg.

Q. What sparked your interest in habits?

A. I first became interested in the science of habits eight years ago, as a newspaper reporter in Baghdad, when I heard about an army major conducting an experiment in a small town named Kufa. The major had analyzed videotapes of riots and had found that violence was often preceded by a crowd of Iraqis gathering in a plaza and, over the course of hours, growing in size. Food vendors would show up, as well as spectators. Then, someone would throw a rock or a bottle.

When the major met with Kufa’s mayor, he made an odd request: Could they keep food vendors out of the plazas? Sure, the mayor said. A few weeks later, a small crowd gathered near the Great Mosque of Kufa. It grew in size. Some people started chanting angry slogans. At dusk, the crowd started getting restless and hungry. People looked for the kebab sellers normally filling the plaza, but there were none to be found. The spectators left. The chanters became dispirited. By 8 p.m., everyone was gone.

I asked the major how he had figured out that removing food vendors would change peoples' behavior.

The U.S. military, he told me, is one of the biggest habit-formation experiments in history. “Understanding habits is the most important thing I’ve learned in the army,” he said. By the time I got back to the U.S., I was hooked on the topic.

Q. How have your own habits changed as a result of writing this book?

A. Since starting work on this book, I've lost about 30 pounds, I run every other morning (I'm training for the NY Marathon later this year), and I'm much more productive. And the reason why is because I've learned to diagnose my habits, and how to change them.

Take, for instance, a bad habit I had of eating a cookie every afternoon. By learning how to analyze my habit, I figured out that the reason I walked to the cafeteria each day wasn't because I was craving a chocolate chip cookie. It was because I was craving socialization, the company of talking to my colleagues while munching. That was the habit's real reward. And the cue for my behavior - the trigger that caused me to automatically stand up and wander to the cafeteria, was a certain time of day.

So, I reconstructed the habit: now, at about 3:30 each day, I absentmindedly stand up from my desk, look around for someone to talk with, and then gossip for about 10 minutes. I don't even think about it at this point. It's automatic. It's a habit. I haven't had a cookie in six months.

Q. What was the most surprising use of habits that you uncovered?

A. The most surprising thing I've learned is how companies use the science of habit formation to study - and influence - what we buy.

Take, for example, Target, the giant retailer. Target collects all kinds of data on every shopper it can, including whether you’re married and have kids, which part of town you live in, how much money you earn, if you've moved recently, the websites you visit. And with that information, it tries to diagnose each consumer’s unique, individual habits.

Why? Because Target knows that there are these certain moments when our habits become flexible. When we buy a new house, for instance, or get married or have a baby, our shopping habits are in flux. A well-timed coupon or advertisement can convince us to buy in a whole new way. But figuring out when someone is buying a house or getting married or having a baby is tough. And if you send the advertisement after the wedding or the baby arrives, it’s usually too late.

So Target studies our habits to see if they can predict major life events. And the company is very, very successful. Oftentimes, they know what is going on in someone's life better than that person's parents.

About the Author

Excerpt. © reprinted by permission. all rights reserved., product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0055PGUYU
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House (February 28, 2012)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 28, 2012
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 19445 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 392 pages
• Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ B0BLNSVNLM
• #4 in Organizational Behavior (Kindle Store)
• #17 in Social Psychology & Interactions
• #32 in Personal Transformation

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About the author

Charles duhigg.

My name is Charles Duhigg, and I'm a reporter for The New Yorker Magazine and the author of The Power of Habit, Smarter Faster Better, and Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection (coming out on February 20, 2024!)

While I worked at the New York Times, I won a Pulitzer Prize for a series about Apple named "The iEconomy". Before that, I wrote about the 2008 financial crisis, how companies take advantage of the elderly, and reported from Iraq. (For those and other articles, I won the National Journalism Award, the Investigative Reporters and Editors' Medal, the National Academies' reporting award and other recognitions.)

But let’s be honest, you aren’t visiting this page so I can brag about series and awards. (Unless you’re my mom. Hi mom!)

I’m also a native of New Mexico. I studied history at Yale and received an MBA from Harvard Business School. I now live in Santa Cruz, CA with my wife and two children and, before becoming a journalist, was a bike messenger in San Francisco for one terrifying day.

I would love to hear from you.

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Ford Library

Book review: the power of habit.

Duhigg, Charles. The power of habit : why we do what we do in life and business . Random House, 2012.

In January, Duke University’s wellness program sponsored a 10 week contest called the Duke Moving Challenge.  Duke employees formed over 200 teams who competed for “most steps taken” or “most pounds lost.”  The Ford Library staff finished 7th in the category “most minutes exercised,” yet four months after the contest ended, only half the library staff is still exercising  — the same people who were exercising regularly before the program started.*

Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, would not be surprised.  Using recent research in brain science, Duhigg explains how a sequence of actions becomes automatic and a habit is formed.   For every habit there is a three step loop — the cue, the routine and the reward.   After repeating this loop a number of times, people begin to anticipate the reward.  They crave the reward, which then powers the habit loop.   Once this cycle is formed, it becomes resistant to change.  But once the formula is known, it is possible to recognize a habit and to understand how to modify it.  And conscious decisions to cultivate good routines can reprogram other bad habits.

After discussing how personal habits are created and changed, Duhigg turns to habits in companies and organizations.  He shows how leaders can transform their organizations by identifying keystone habits, those that change the dynamic throughout the organization.  These leaders establish a culture where new values are engrained and change flourishes.  Duhigg also discusses the habits of societies, explaining how social movements are created and maintained.

The Power of Habit is an engrossing book.  Author Duhigg weaves stories of people, companies and brands with studies of brain science to produce a work that is highly recommended for readers who want to transform their lives by making simple modifications.

*So what happened during the Duke Moving Challenge?  During the contest, it was fun to update our results on a website and to check our progress against other teams every day.  But at the end of the contest, the website came down and we got rid of our pedometers.  Our esprit de corps dissipated.   For exercise novitiates, the reward was gone.   Anyone already in the habit of exercising, however, had previously developed an intrinsic reward, the sense of accomplishment or the satisfaction of taking care of our health.  These people continued to crave that emotional boost every day, contest or not, so it is no surprise that these people are still exercising.

Also available in audiobook format .

© Reviewer: Meg Trauner & Ford Library – Fuqua School of Business. All rights reserved.

This entry was posted by Meg on Monday, September 10th, 2012 at 8:00 am and is filed under Book Reviews . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response , or trackback from your own site.

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The Times of India

8 lessons to learn from 'The Power of Habit' by Charles Duhigg

Posted: 11 April 2024 | Last updated: 12 April 2024

Forming right habits

‘The Power of Habit’ by Charles Duhigg emerged as a brilliant self-help book during its time and is referred to and recommended by people even today. Here we list 8 important lessons from the book.

​The habit loop

In his book, Duhigg explains all about the habit loop, which has a cue, routine, and reward. By understanding this loop, people can identify the triggers of their habits, the actions, and the rewards they want with it.

​Keystone habits

According to Duhigg, there are certain habits, known as keystone habits, which have the power to change our life or certain areas of life. For example, exercising can lead to many benefits in the long run. So, identify and focus on these keystone habits.

​Believing is important

Duhigg emphasises that having belief is very important in changing or modifying your habits. By believing that change is possible and that you have the ability to control yourself, you can make positive change in life.

Celebrate the small wins

No matter how big or small, one should celebrate wins. Celebrating small victories along the way is important as it helps boost morale and gives you something to look forward to and work towards.

​Importance of willpower

Willpower can only be developed by self and will not come from external pressures. So, with your own will, develop discipline and resist any indulgence.

The influence of others

Very often in life, our habits are influenced by the people around us. And so, it is important to surround yourself with the right people, who have a positive influence on you and are supportive of your healthy habits.

​Change your routine

In his book, Duhigg suggests that instead of trying to change our desires, we should focus on changing our routines. By replacing unhealthy habits with healthier alternatives, we can fulfil our needs and desires in a more positive way.

Golden rule of habit change

The star of the book is the ‘Golden rule of habit change’. The rule says - keep the cue and reward the same, but change the routine. So, by maintaining the cues and rewards with a habit, but changing it with a new routine, we can successfully rewire our habits over time.

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May 1, 2024

10 powerful books that will change the course of your life

Books that will transform.

Books have the power to fuel imagination and magically transform and change people. The words, incidents, anecdotes, all mentioned in them have the power to inspire people and lead them on to a better tomorrow. Here we list 10 books that have the power to change someone’s life.

​‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear

A holy grail self-help book, ‘Atomic Habits’ is all about the small changes people can make in their habits that lead to amazing results over time. Clear breaks down the science of habit formation and offers strategies for building good habits and breaking bad ones.

‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ by Stephen Covey

A timeless classic about 7 qualities and habits of successful people is this one. The book lays out how by aligning actions with relevant principles, can help achieve greater success and satisfaction in all areas of your life.

Simon-Schuster

​‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho

‘The Alchemist’ is a beautiful novel that follows the simple idea of following your dreams and listening to your heart. It's the perfect book about self-discovery and the how-to of realising life in full potential.

​‘Ikigai’ by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles

The beautiful Japanese concept of Ikigai is now world famous thanks to this book. Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means ‘a reason for being’ and the book focuses on how finding your ikigai can lead to a better and meaningful life.

‘Sapiens’ by Yuval Noah Harari

This book finds a mention on the list because Harari talks in a very simple and practical language and explains how humans became the dominant species on Earth.

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​‘the psychology of money’ by morgan housel.

In his book, Housel talks about the psychological and behavioural aspects of personal finance. By understanding the emotions and biases around money, people can make better financial decisions and build wealth over time.

Jaico-Publishing-House

​‘The Power of Habit’ by Charles Duhigg

In his book, Duhigg explains the science behind habit formation and how these same habits shape our lives. By understanding the ‘habit loop’ of cue, routine, and reward, people can change their habits and transform their behaviour.

Random-House-Trade-Paperbacks

‘The Courage to Be Disliked’ by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga

A book that works as a mirror for people is this one. ‘The Courage to be Disliked’ challenges readers to accept themselves and live authentically. The book is about letting go of the need for approval and finding the courage to make your own path.

Allen-Unwin

​‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie

Carnegie's most famous and classic book on interpersonal skills is as relevant today as it was when it was first published. The book explains how people can become more likeable, persuasive, and successful in their personal and professional relationships.

‘Wings of Fire’ by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

An autobiography of one of the most dynamic Indians ‘Wings of Fire’. It is about the life of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, India's former president and a renowned scientist, looks at Kalam's journey from humble beginnings to becoming one of the most respected leaders in the country.

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