The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg is an engaging, informative read with a satisfactory blend of storytelling and psychological science. As a New York Times Reporter, Duhigg investigates how habits are formed, bolstered, and replaced, illustrating his points through real-life examples alongside psychology and neuroscience studies. He effectively convinces readers of the pervasiveness and importance of habits. Take, for instance, the story of an elderly man who could not consciously remember where he lived, but thanks to ingrained habits could navigate to his house on an automated level. Throughout the nine chapters, Duhigg argues that habits are the key to basic functioning, advertising, reforming maladaptive behavior, and corporate success. The book provides a thought-provoking examination of human behavior through the lens of habits, with applicable takeaways for people’s personal lives and society as a whole. 

 

             The book opens with the story of how a struggling smoker and alcoholic transformed her life by altering just one keystone habit. Whether its making your bed each morning or planning out your meals, even a single shift in habits can trigger a much larger lifestyle overhaul. The Power of Habit feels part self-help book, offering plenty of commentary on wellbeing and breaking unhealthy cycles like alcoholism or gambling. Throughout the book Duhigg repeatedly returns to his thesis of how habits are almost impossible to break, but can be changed if people keep the same cues and rewards while replacing the intermediary routine. For instance, whenever a chronic nail biter felt an itch (the cue), tapping her fingers against the table (the new routine) rather than chewing her nails provided that same sensory stimulation (the reward), without the pain. The book provides countless case studies of people who attempted to change their habits, with varying levels of success. Chapter Three is particularly fascinating because it discusses how changing difficult habits, like alcoholism, often requires more than pure science. For all-consuming cravings or deeply ingrained athletic impulses, a shared sense of community (which is illustrated through Alcoholics Anonymous and a rallying NFL Team) and belief in a common purpose is vital.

 

             Duhigg also examines the relevance of habits beyond the individual and how habits are key to the broader societal fabric. A whole chapter is dedicated to discussing how companies like Procter & Gamble successfully launch products by convincing consumers to incorporate these products into their daily routines (ex: automatically reaching for Febreze after cleaning). A strength of the piece is Duhigg’s ability to masterfully delve into an anecdote; a weakness is a want of more generalizable, empirical conclusions. Later on in the book, Duhigg explores how Target advertisers infer a startling amount of information about customers’ lives by examining small habits of what people purchase, when they shop, and so forth. This part was really intriguing and revealed how the careful examination of habits can be used to direct our behaviors for better or worse. Chapter Eight examines the role of social habits in facilitating movements like the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the rise of megachurches; nevertheless, this section felt weaker compared to the others.

             

             In addition to marketing and social movements, people interested in business or management will enjoy The Power of Habit. Duhigg sheds unique light into how, at a fundamental level, organizations are based on hundreds of employee habits that shape the workplace environment. For instance, a train station in London caught on fire because the departments had clung onto bureaucratic, illogical but familiar patterns of divvying up tasks. A central principle of the text is that no matter how small they may seem, correct habits manifest in meaningful ways. At Starbucks, educational programs that instill the habit of willpower in workers are essential to the company’s reputation of customer service and multibillion-dollar success. One anecdote that stood out was the story of the struggling aluminum manufacturer Alcoa, and how the CEO turned the company around by focusing on the single habit of worker safety. This approach of fixing worker safety led to cascading changes across the board, and new habits of open communication, employee engagement, and sound, efficient protocol. Essentially, by interweaving numerous stories and findings, The Power of Habit reveals the all-too-often ignored habits that unconsciously influence our lives.