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Top positive review
459 people found this helpful
4.0 out of 5 starsA Janus-faced text, with very different halves
ByQuielon January 5, 2017
Two halves coexist within this book’s covers. One is outstanding; the other is a bit sloppy. Part one is the heart of the book; it explains what habits are about, where they come from, how they’re hard-wired into our brains, and how they can be enormously powerful —both to enslave us and to free us if we only we learn how to handle them well (the book’s mission). I found this part of the book to be truly outstanding: well-researched, engagingly written and extremely persuasive. It combines scientific research, personal life-stories and journalistic interviews to great effect.
While the 1st part is circumscribed to the individual level of analysis, on parts 2 and 3 the author takes the analysis from the micro to organizations (meso-level) and societies (macro-level). The author describes “the power of weak ties” of social networks, and claims that it helps understand the rise of social movements —which it clearly does. But in his explanation, networks are rebranded as “the habit of peer pressure”. Networks —as well as peer pressure, or culture— can be powerful forces for change, undoubtedly. But networks are not habits —as per his own definition. Different phenomena are conflated into the concept of habits, and in doing so the concept loses elegance and consistency.
Intellectually, the book is revealing. On a personal level, it is incredibly useful —and I’m thankful to the author for writing it. I would have limited the book claims to the phenomena it can explain beyond any reasonable doubt. By taking the concept of habits beyond what it can solidly explain, parts 2 & 3 detract a bit of value and credibility from the book. Were it not for that, I would have given 5 stars to the book. In balance, this is still a great book that --with the caveat expressed-- I strongly recommend.
While the 1st part is circumscribed to the individual level of analysis, on parts 2 and 3 the author takes the analysis from the micro to organizations (meso-level) and societies (macro-level). The author describes “the power of weak ties” of social networks, and claims that it helps understand the rise of social movements —which it clearly does. But in his explanation, networks are rebranded as “the habit of peer pressure”. Networks —as well as peer pressure, or culture— can be powerful forces for change, undoubtedly. But networks are not habits —as per his own definition. Different phenomena are conflated into the concept of habits, and in doing so the concept loses elegance and consistency.
Intellectually, the book is revealing. On a personal level, it is incredibly useful —and I’m thankful to the author for writing it. I would have limited the book claims to the phenomena it can explain beyond any reasonable doubt. By taking the concept of habits beyond what it can solidly explain, parts 2 & 3 detract a bit of value and credibility from the book. Were it not for that, I would have given 5 stars to the book. In balance, this is still a great book that --with the caveat expressed-- I strongly recommend.
Top critical review
1,077 people found this helpful
3.0 out of 5 starsThree Chapters Worthwhile, The Rest is Filler
ByProfessor Boom Boomon October 22, 2013
Only three chapters are both interesting and useful, but they all slow down when the author drags us through stories that could have been condensed into a few sentences or a couple paragraphs. Frustrating.
The science is interesting, but shallowly covered. Basically the book is one big series of stories about how people changed habits to succeed in life.
If you are looking for help yourself in this area, look elsewhere. The author offers a small bit of useful advice:
Basically, you look for the cues/triggers that are starting the routine/habit that you are not happy with but cannot seem to stop. Then you determine what is the reward you are getting. Are you eating the candy because of low blood sugar or because you eat with friends and need a chat or because you are nervous and it calms you, etc.?
Discovering the triggers and rewards takes time and introspection--all left up to you. The book cannot help you there.
But once you do, you change the routine/habit by force of will every time you encounter the cue/trigger, making sure that the reward is the same. The cue and reward must be the same. So, instead of eating candy, you just go chat with friends on purpose, or you eat a better form of food to satisfy low blood sugar, or whatever.
When you feel like engaging in the "bad" habit, ask yourself what you get out of the habit beyond the superficial and obvious. Then replace that habit with a new one you desire to do that gives you the same type of reward/outcome/feeling. Do this over and over until it becomes . . . a habit.
So, there you go. Saved you money. Unless you enjoy random success stories. Then the book is a good read for you.
I wish I had not purchased this book, but you live and learn.
The science is interesting, but shallowly covered. Basically the book is one big series of stories about how people changed habits to succeed in life.
If you are looking for help yourself in this area, look elsewhere. The author offers a small bit of useful advice:
Basically, you look for the cues/triggers that are starting the routine/habit that you are not happy with but cannot seem to stop. Then you determine what is the reward you are getting. Are you eating the candy because of low blood sugar or because you eat with friends and need a chat or because you are nervous and it calms you, etc.?
Discovering the triggers and rewards takes time and introspection--all left up to you. The book cannot help you there.
But once you do, you change the routine/habit by force of will every time you encounter the cue/trigger, making sure that the reward is the same. The cue and reward must be the same. So, instead of eating candy, you just go chat with friends on purpose, or you eat a better form of food to satisfy low blood sugar, or whatever.
When you feel like engaging in the "bad" habit, ask yourself what you get out of the habit beyond the superficial and obvious. Then replace that habit with a new one you desire to do that gives you the same type of reward/outcome/feeling. Do this over and over until it becomes . . . a habit.
So, there you go. Saved you money. Unless you enjoy random success stories. Then the book is a good read for you.
I wish I had not purchased this book, but you live and learn.
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5.0 out of 5 starsThis is very important because we can learn from it how to replace a bad habit (smoking) with a good one (exercise)
ByDaniel R. Murphyon December 25, 2016
Duhigg explores what science has to teach us about how habits are formed, how they function, how they can be modified and how they influence our lives and our business world. The book is divided into three parts: The Habits of Individuals, The Habits of Successful Organizations, and the Habits of Societies.
Based on studies of animal behavior and human behavior, we (that is rats, monkeys and humans) form habits the same way. There is a cue of some kind that triggers a habit, followed by some form of routine that has been completed memorized and operates more or less automatically, followed by some form of reward that reinforces the habit. Whether it is buckling our seat belt, brushing out teeth, smoking a cigarette or using heroin, this same habit loop operates in all of us.
The brain creates habits because it simplifies our activities. If we had to consciously decide and think out everything we do every day throughout the day from scratch it would be overwhelming for the brain. Habits are little routines that automate aspects of our behavior. We are not usually conscious that the habit is being formed, and once it is in place we need not expend much thought to follow it. It is a very effective efficiency that our minds use to free us up to think about other things.
Since we now know how a habit is formed and how they function we can modify existing habits and create new ones. We must identify the right cue which leads to the desired routine which is then followed by the reward. We must know in advance, or expect, the reward to motivate us to engage in the routine. The reward generates endorphins in the brain which are powerful motivators. They motivate us to repeat the routine every time the cue occurs. It is a bit more complex than that, but that is the gist of it.
Duhigg goes on to explain in fascinating detail how studies have shown us how we can modify a habit and how to replace one habit with another. This is very important because we can learn from it how to replace a bad habit (smoking) with a good one (exercise).
Certain habits also develop in organizations and in societies and they come together to create a culture, whether it is the culture of a corporation or the culture of a society. Culture, it seems, is primarily driven by key habits.
What I found useful about this book:
This book helps us understand how habits are formed and how we can use them to our benefit, change them when we need to and replace them when necessary. Duhigg does warn the reader that although we understand the way habits are made and altered it is not always easy to do it. Determining the actual cue for example can take some experimentation and work.
Readability/Writing Quality:
The book is very well written. It is engaging. It contains lots of references to studies and science but not in a dry or boring way. It is a series of fascinating stories. It is very well organized.
Notes on Author:
Charles Duhigg is an award winning investigative reporter for the New York Times.
Other Books by This Author:
Smarter, Faster, Better
Related Website:[...]
Three Great Ideas You Can Use:
1. Habits all function in the same basic way: a cue begins a behavior routine which ends in a reward. Once we understand this we can understand how habits work and how to change them or use them.
2. We are manipulated every day by business through habits. Marketing has become in many ways habit focused.
3. Once we know how to form and change a habit we can gain more real control over our own behaviors; we can replace bad habits and create good ones.
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
Based on studies of animal behavior and human behavior, we (that is rats, monkeys and humans) form habits the same way. There is a cue of some kind that triggers a habit, followed by some form of routine that has been completed memorized and operates more or less automatically, followed by some form of reward that reinforces the habit. Whether it is buckling our seat belt, brushing out teeth, smoking a cigarette or using heroin, this same habit loop operates in all of us.
The brain creates habits because it simplifies our activities. If we had to consciously decide and think out everything we do every day throughout the day from scratch it would be overwhelming for the brain. Habits are little routines that automate aspects of our behavior. We are not usually conscious that the habit is being formed, and once it is in place we need not expend much thought to follow it. It is a very effective efficiency that our minds use to free us up to think about other things.
Since we now know how a habit is formed and how they function we can modify existing habits and create new ones. We must identify the right cue which leads to the desired routine which is then followed by the reward. We must know in advance, or expect, the reward to motivate us to engage in the routine. The reward generates endorphins in the brain which are powerful motivators. They motivate us to repeat the routine every time the cue occurs. It is a bit more complex than that, but that is the gist of it.
Duhigg goes on to explain in fascinating detail how studies have shown us how we can modify a habit and how to replace one habit with another. This is very important because we can learn from it how to replace a bad habit (smoking) with a good one (exercise).
Certain habits also develop in organizations and in societies and they come together to create a culture, whether it is the culture of a corporation or the culture of a society. Culture, it seems, is primarily driven by key habits.
What I found useful about this book:
This book helps us understand how habits are formed and how we can use them to our benefit, change them when we need to and replace them when necessary. Duhigg does warn the reader that although we understand the way habits are made and altered it is not always easy to do it. Determining the actual cue for example can take some experimentation and work.
Readability/Writing Quality:
The book is very well written. It is engaging. It contains lots of references to studies and science but not in a dry or boring way. It is a series of fascinating stories. It is very well organized.
Notes on Author:
Charles Duhigg is an award winning investigative reporter for the New York Times.
Other Books by This Author:
Smarter, Faster, Better
Related Website:[...]
Three Great Ideas You Can Use:
1. Habits all function in the same basic way: a cue begins a behavior routine which ends in a reward. Once we understand this we can understand how habits work and how to change them or use them.
2. We are manipulated every day by business through habits. Marketing has become in many ways habit focused.
3. Once we know how to form and change a habit we can gain more real control over our own behaviors; we can replace bad habits and create good ones.
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
80 people found this helpful
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ByMichael Youngon June 16, 2017
A fascinating account on recent research into habit. For example, Duhigg describes a Duke University study that showed that more than 40% of our actions are not well-reasoned, conscious choices, but rather are under the control of habit.
The book, however, isn't intended as a how-to manual. It's true, as he states, that we can start a new good habit by using the habit loop: simply create a cue for the desired behavior and assign ourselves a reward for that behavior. In real life, however, the problem is that we often face strong *resistance* to performing the good habit.
Two exciting discoveries in psychology can help us overcome this resistance: The first technique is to commit ourselves to only a *tiny step* toward the desired behavior, which surprisingly often dissolves our resistance and leads us to spontaneously continue performing the positive action. Harvard instructor Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D., said that this approach is the single most important technique to emerge from research on procrastination.
The second technique is to track the "chain" or "streak" of days on which we complete the desired habit (or at least the tiny step toward that habit). Our reluctance to break the chain forms a second level of motivation to help us establish the habit.
To make the theories in "The Power of Habit" -- as well as these two addition techniques -- truly practical, I created a free iPhone app called "Mini Steps: End Procrastination, Build Good Habits" ( tinyurl.com/GoodHabitApp ). I think the app is the perfect companion to Duhigg's interesting book, and I'd love to get your feedback on it.
The book, however, isn't intended as a how-to manual. It's true, as he states, that we can start a new good habit by using the habit loop: simply create a cue for the desired behavior and assign ourselves a reward for that behavior. In real life, however, the problem is that we often face strong *resistance* to performing the good habit.
Two exciting discoveries in psychology can help us overcome this resistance: The first technique is to commit ourselves to only a *tiny step* toward the desired behavior, which surprisingly often dissolves our resistance and leads us to spontaneously continue performing the positive action. Harvard instructor Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D., said that this approach is the single most important technique to emerge from research on procrastination.
The second technique is to track the "chain" or "streak" of days on which we complete the desired habit (or at least the tiny step toward that habit). Our reluctance to break the chain forms a second level of motivation to help us establish the habit.
To make the theories in "The Power of Habit" -- as well as these two addition techniques -- truly practical, I created a free iPhone app called "Mini Steps: End Procrastination, Build Good Habits" ( tinyurl.com/GoodHabitApp ). I think the app is the perfect companion to Duhigg's interesting book, and I'd love to get your feedback on it.
5.0 out of 5 starswhether because we developed a few bad ones, or because someone else carefully designed the ...
ByHajimeon February 28, 2017
Habit is the cause of many sufferings in our lives, whether because we developed a few bad ones, or because someone else carefully designed the habits for us. At the same time, habit can be the source of so many joys and happy times.
This book is no doubt one of the most important books I've read to date.
This book is not a typical self-help book, if you're looking for one, but I think it's still worth a read even for self-help readers. In the worst case scenario, it may reveal why some of the self-help books you've read did not work while others did, and at best, you will find your own self-help methods without additional books.
If you are fascinated by human behavior, and, by extension, your own, and you've always wondered about the more primitive aspects of our brains that have a gripping influence on our lives, this book will no doubt be a great addition to your bookshelf.
This book is no doubt one of the most important books I've read to date.
This book is not a typical self-help book, if you're looking for one, but I think it's still worth a read even for self-help readers. In the worst case scenario, it may reveal why some of the self-help books you've read did not work while others did, and at best, you will find your own self-help methods without additional books.
If you are fascinated by human behavior, and, by extension, your own, and you've always wondered about the more primitive aspects of our brains that have a gripping influence on our lives, this book will no doubt be a great addition to your bookshelf.
ByJill S.on February 23, 2017
This has amazing information and is fairly easy to read. Helped me understand some of what goes on with behavior that seems to be hard to manage, but really exists for a perfectly logical reason once you step back a bit and know more about how the mind and mind/body work.
ByAZ Scholaron August 22, 2017
This was an interesting read. It delves into the many ways businesses use human nature and our predictability in terms of habit forming to market products. While reading it, I couldn't help but see the connections all around me, such as those who stop every morning to get their soda or coffee to start their day as they head to work, or mix a drink at the end of each work day to unwind. The behavior goes from being a treat, to becoming a habit, to, depending on the "treat" becoming an addiction. One of the primary pluses of this book was that it helped me become more aware, and thus, more able to alter my own habits.
ByKatie Escousseon April 28, 2017
This is a great read explaining how habits are formed, how they can be changed, and how they influence our lives in the business world. This book is divided into three parts: The Habits of Individuals, The Habits of Successful Organizations, and the Habits of Societies. Duhigg uses studies of animal behavior and human behavior to argue that we form habits in the same way. There is a cue that triggers a habit, and is followed by a routine that operates almost automatically. Then, this is followed by some type of reward that reinforces the habit. Duhigg says that the brain creates habit because it simplifies our activities. If we had to think about everything we do throughout the day, our brain would be very overwhelmed. We aren’t usually conscious that the habit is being formed and once it is in place, there isn’t much thought put into doing it. Duhigg also explains how studies have shown that we can modify a habit and how to replace one habit with another. This book helps us understand how habits are formed and how we can use them to our benefit, change them when we need to, and replace them when necessary. This would be a great read for someone who is looking to change their habits!
ByAmazon Customeron December 20, 2016
Really liked this book. Very useful look at how habits drive our overall behavior and how keystone habits drive many of our (often bad) overall habits. Teaches you to look for the cues (think the bell from Pavlov's most famous experiment) that drive some habitual behavior followed by the all-important reward that creates a feedback loop that causes us to act in ways that are in direct conflict with our desires beliefs and goals. Master the keystone habits replace them with good ones and viola! Great things happen.
Although I really liked it I would have found it even better if he had spent more time giving us examples of techniques that worked for everything from weight loss to success at work or school so the readers could benefit from what works for many others.
Although I really liked it I would have found it even better if he had spent more time giving us examples of techniques that worked for everything from weight loss to success at work or school so the readers could benefit from what works for many others.
5.0 out of 5 starsall rolled into one while easily telling stories that keep me interested all throughout the ...
ByTruth Be Toldon January 16, 2018
Marketing, psychology, statistics, human behavior in the raw, all rolled into one while easily telling stories that keep me interested all throughout the book! By far, one of my most all time favorite book! Worth reading several times over, infusing oneself into understanding our own rational and many times unrational habits, then how to improve ourselves, when needed.
ByW. Gulyason October 28, 2017
An excellent book, well researched and validated. Also well written, illuminating, and easy to read. Distinguished from many other current "habit" themed books (which in comparison are a little "lite"). Includes information on current marketing practices using electronically-compiled personal data that successfully mold individual buying habits.
ByBoilerShoeholicon August 25, 2016
Fascinating read! Struggled this winter to motivate after a highly stressful autumn. I knew mindset was a barrier and picked up this book to see if I could trick myself into getting back on track. Really appreciated the presentation of the ideas from micro (neuron level) to macro (behavior of a community level). I also liked that he started each progression with a real-life example and backed up the phenomenon with case studies and scientific excerpts -- it took subjective observations and translated them into objective methods that can be applied to meet your needs (though with some concerted effort). He then also provided an appendix with simple, clearly defined steps on how to identify and initiate behavior change. Despite my analytical interpretation, I think it would still be comprehensible to non-analytical readers. Shared this title with friends, family, mostly coworkers, coaches, etc....anyone who has a curiosity.
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