Review: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

by Brainy Book Reviews

What makes a song a hit? What makes a doctor operate on the wrong side of a patient’s head? What makes social change possible when it had seemed so impossible before? Charles Duhigg will show that the answer to all of these questions lies in the careful study of habit formation. Individuals, organizations and societies are all a product of their habits, whether those habits are carefully cultivated or they are based on impulses.

Habits are inevitable. The human brain craves habits so that it does not have to work so hard and is not involved in constant decision making. The brain does not want to have to think about every step you need to back your car out of the driveway and companies do not want to reinvent the hiring process every time they hire someone new. That is why habits form, to make things easier.

What distinguishes successful people from unsuccessful people is whether we choose to control habits or we let them control us. Without deliberate intentions and focused habit formation, bad habits can emerge with the power to end lives and render people and organizations completely dysfunctional. Conversely, careful reflection and knowledge of the habit loop can help any person or any entity adopt the habits that will get them what they want, whether that be sobriety, wealth or a caring and loving community.

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Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Self Help

57 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 26, 2013

Reviews

[Constantino Obando]

The Power of Habit teach us how to learned behaviors that require little or no reasoning. The author tells us that there are different kinds of habits: physical, emotional, social, moral, intellectual, mental, healthy, recreational ... Thus, a habit could be anything from cooking spaghetti, gambling, working, running, etc.
The cycle of a habit is divided into three parts: signal, routine and reward.
- The signal is the external or internal stimulus that causes the need to start the habit.
- Routine is the ritual or action we perform to satisfy this need.
- The reward is the emotional or physical state in which we feel satisfied.
The problem is that many of these cycles are not designed by us, but are formed during our lives without us noticing.
The most dangerous thing is that, after being «in the brain», the reward almost doesn't even matter, and that is where changing them is more difficult, but not impossible.
The conclusion of the book is that, if we are responsible for our habits, because consciously or unconsciously, we create them, and we can change them. The fact that it is difficult cannot be an excuse. We are responsible for our actions, and since habits are actions, we are responsible for them. And by being responsible for our habits we are responsible for changing them. This book helps us to be aware that we must have good habits and if not, we can change them

[Pramila Kudva]

The book is well-researched and written in a simple language embellished with real-life stories. It delves into the depths of why we do what we do and how to change.
The first part deals with the habits of individuals, second with those of organisations and the third with those of societies.
Every fact in the book is based on interviews the author conducted with scientists, entrepreneurs, medical doctors, patients, and more. A scientifically written book that throws open the surprising world of HABITS.

[Susana Ordaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Al inicio del libro, redacta la manera en que funcionan los hábitos, por medio de un ejemplo de un señor de 71 años que perdió la memoria, demostrando que los se forman y operan separados de la parte del cerebro encargada de la memoria, posteriormente con estudios, los científicos, comprobaron que aprendemos y tomamos decisiones inconscientes sin tener que recordar nada sobre la lección o la toma de decisiones. Mencionando el cerebro está constantemente buscando nuevas maneras de ahorrar esfuerzo y se encuentra fragmentado. El proceso de un habito consiste en el círculo de la rutina, recompensa y detonante de modo automático. Los hábitos de trabajo son mucho más fácil de controlar cuando se aprender a observar las señales y las recompensas,así se pueden cambiar las rutinas.
A lo largo del libro, con diferentes ejemplos explica las maneras de cambiar tus hábitos, los cuales, de manera sintetizada sería:
Identificar la rutina
Experimentar con recompensas
Aislar la señal (Ubicación, hora, estado emocional, otra gente, una acción inmediatamente anterior)
Tener un plan.

Concluyendo, el libro en general, trata de identificar que el éxito en el crecimiento personal y en la mayoría de los esfuerzos de la vida depende de la capacidad para identificar, remodelar y construir los hábitos. Mientras los hábitos se entiendan de mejor manera, será menor la importancia de la fuerza de voluntad, metas, etc. Este libro ayuda a resaltar el potencial y maneras de quitarnos lo que nos mantiene atrás.

[MyImpossibleList · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was extensive and informational. The reason why one star is missing is because there is _too_ much information about people's stories and habits. The format of each chapter is that it goes back and forth between two people's stories. Remember who is who was confusing for me, but I got some good lessons from this book overall.

[FXMcGahee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This overview is useful, not as a substitute for Duhigg's work, rather a handy review and reminder of the key lessons from The Power of Habit.
I have both and find this an excellent supplement to the full work.

[Melissa Helton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these things about brain science and social science. It makes you wonder how much of our personalities are just ingrained programming. I like that this had a kajillion examples and it acts as a how-to to change habits in your own life. Everyone should read this.

[Nalin Savara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book but his writing is slow at times

[Davis Reason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. However, he is extremely wordy. Some of his stories are good but very long. I got bored at times. But great lessons

[Andrew]

This book argues that we should leverage habits by choosing triggers and rewards for behaviors that we want to do habitually. Also, we cannot get rid of habits, only replace them

[Ben Lirnir · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s an interesting read, but the stories sometimes drag on too long. It could be more concise.

[Jennifer Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating overview of habits and how they are sometimes insidiously formed. It provided an intriguing, but highly intuitive, formula for undoing the bad ones. It was both interesting and engaging and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a way out of what have often become ingrained and non-beneficial habits.

[Zhi Han · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book examines habits in much detail. It centers around the nature of habit, how to create habit and change bad habit. I loved the analysis of historic facts and development of the author's point.

Although the first three chapters are pretty good, as the book progresses, I feel that the book is a little bit too long and the materials discussed are, mostly, common knowledge.

[Corinne]

Terrific - with great stories and practical ways to make or break a habit.

[Sean Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why do we do what we do? We would like to think that our mind is in control of things, but it's not. Duhigg explains why. The science behind this is fascinating!

[Patrick Stroobandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good ideas worth spreading :)

[Sandy]

F

[Zireva Zinzombe-muhondo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book on how to change habits.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

how to break habits and replace w better routine.