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The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
by Charles Duhigg

Published: 2014-01-07
Paperback : 416 pages
15 members reading this now
31 clubs reading this now
8 members have read this book
Recommended to book clubs by 6 of 6 members

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Perfect for anyone trying to start the new year off right, this instant classic explores how we can change our lives by changing our habits.  

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Wall Street Journal • Financial Times
 
In The Power of Habit, ...

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Introduction

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Perfect for anyone trying to start the new year off right, this instant classic explores how we can change our lives by changing our habits.  

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Wall Street Journal • Financial Times
 
In The Power of Habit, award-winning business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. Distilling vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives that take us from the boardrooms of Procter & Gamble to the sidelines of the NFL to the front lines of the civil rights movement, Duhigg presents a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential. At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, being more productive, and achieving success is understanding how habits work. As Duhigg shows, by harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.

With a new Afterword by the author
 
“Sharp, provocative, and useful.”—Jim Collins
 
“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
 
“A flat-out great read.”—David Allen, bestselling author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
 
“You’ll never look at yourself, your organization, or your world quite the same way.”—Daniel H. Pink, bestselling author of Drive and A Whole New Mind
 
“Entertaining . . . enjoyable . . . fascinating . . . a serious look at the science of habit formation and change.”The New York Times Book Review

Editorial Review

Q&A with Charles Duhigg

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.

Excerpt

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Discussion Questions

Teacher's Guide:

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/teachers_guides/9781400069286.pdf

Suggested by Members

See teacher's guide on author's website.
by mystryrdr (see profile) 07/16/15

We used the Teacher's Guide to help guide our discussions.
by gina1221 (see profile) 02/24/13

Notes From the Author to the Bookclub

Praise:

“Entertaining, an enjoyable book…a serious look at the science of habit formation and change.” —New York Times Book Review

"Duhigg brings a heaping, much-needed dose of social science and psychology to the subject, explaining the promise and perils of habits via an entertaining ride that touches on everything from marketing to management studies to the civil-rights movement… a fascinating read.”—Newsweek Daily Beast

“A fascinating exploration of our pathologically habitual society — we smoke, we incessantly check our BlackBerrys, we chronically choose bad partners, we always (or never) make our beds. Duhigg digs into why we are this way, and how we can change, both as individuals and institutionally.” —The Daily

“Charles Duhigg’s thesis is powerful in its elegant simplicity: confront the root drivers of our behavior, accept them as intractable, and then channel those same cravings into productive patterns. His core insight is sharp, provocative, and useful.”

—Jim Collins, #1 bestselling author of Good to Great and Built to Last

“The Power of Habit is not a magic pill but a thoroughly intriguing exploration of how habits function. Charles Duhigg expertly weaves fascinating new research and rich case studies into an intelligent model that is understandable, useful in a wide variety of contexts, and a flat-out great read. His chapter on ‘keystone habits’ alone would justify the book.”

—David Allen, bestselling author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

“Charles Duhigg masterfully combines cutting-edge research and captivating stories to reveal how habits shape our lives and how we can shape our habits. Once you read this book, you’ll never look at yourself, your organization, or your world quite the same way.”

—Daniel H. Pink, author of #1 New York Times bestselling Drive and A Whole New Mind

“William James once observed that ninety-nine percent of human activity is done out of mere habit. In this fascinating book, Charles Duhigg reveals why James was right, documenting the myriad ways in which our habits shape our lives. Do you want to know why Febreze became a bestselling product? Or how Tony Dungy gets the most out of his football players? Or how the science of habits can be used to improve willpower? Read this book.”

—Jonah Lehrer, bestselling author of Proust Was a Neuroscientist and How We Decide

Book Club Recommendations

Teacher's guide has questions for each chapter
by mystryrdr (see profile) 07/16/15
http://charlesduhigg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/PowerHabit_SG_online_CORRECT2.pdf Many great questions for discussion & additional resources if you like the topic

Member Reviews

Overall rating:
 
 
by Diane T. (see profile) 03/15/20

 
by Mindy S. (see profile) 02/28/20

 
by karla I. (see profile) 12/13/19

 
by Carol M. (see profile) 10/31/19

 
by Maria Julie R. (see profile) 01/26/17

 
by Vanessa S. (see profile) 08/22/16

 
  "Fantastic book to discuss"by Stephanie L. (see profile) 07/16/15

Applicable to everyone's lives, and filled with interesting real life examples & research made simple & interesting. Great discussion topics.

 
by Pauline H. (see profile) 06/03/14

 
  "Interesting topic for conversation"by Dana B. (see profile) 08/29/13

Although a bit disjointed at times, the author raised many points about habits and how they affect our lives. More information/research-based than self-help in style.

 
  "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business"by Gina J. (see profile) 02/24/13

Our club found the book very informative and can be applied to any habit. We have even decided to try the method described for identifying and changing a habit and will report back on our progress in... (read more)

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