BOOK REVIEW: The Power of Habit

By Chris Duhigg

BOOK REVIEW

Ever try to quit smoking? To start running in the morning? Some habits are hard to break, and some (usually the healthy, not so fun ones) seem near impossible to make stick. I first read about Duhigg's book on habits last year, after reading an article he wrote about how Target was able to predict a teen girl was pregnant before even she knew based solely on her purchasing habits. Curiosity piqued, I picked up his book and was very satisfied. In The Power of Habit, Duhigg looks at how habits--a neurological craving etched on our brains--is borne, usually by our entering into a habit loop; we receive a cue to do our habit, we do the routine, and experience a reward (example, feeling stressed is our cue, biting our fingernails becomes the routine, and being distracted or less stressed is the reward). A very interesting and easy read, not necessarily a self help book if you're trying to change habits (though it does offer some great understanding of how and why they have such power over us), but good to get a better understanding of how habits work, the behavioral aspects of them, and how the immense power creating or destroying habits has on society.


You can buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Habit-What-Business/dp/1400069289