Book Report: The Power of Habit

 "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg is an exploration into the science of habits and how they shape our lives, both individually and in organizations. In this book Duhigg dives into the neurological and psychological processes behind habit formation which reveals to us how habits influence our daily routines, decisions, and ultimately, our successes or failures. Through compelling stories and extensive research, the book illustrates the transformative power of identifying and understanding the "habit loop," a cue-routine-reward pattern that drives behavior. Duhigg demonstrates how individuals and companies can harness this knowledge to create positive change, break destructive patterns, and cultivate productive habits. With practical insights and engaging narratives, "The Power of Habit" helps provide us readers with a profound understanding of how habits work and empowers them to take control of their behaviors, paving the way for personal growth and success.

My favorite part of this book is the section on the "habit loop". In this part of the book, Duhigg explains how habits are formed through a three-step process: cue, routine, and reward. He offers fascinating real-life examples that help readers understand how this loop operates in everyday situations, from simple habits to complex behaviors. By dissecting the habit loop, Duhigg equips readers with valuable knowledge to recognize and modify their own habits effectively, leading to positive personal and professional changes. One real life example charles Duhigg uses is with a women named Lisa Allen. Lisa suffered from a brain injury and lost her ability to form new memories. Even with her condition Lisa would still perform her daily routines and tasks because of her existing habits. This example helps show how habits become ingraved into our brain, allowing us to perform actions without consious thought or memory.

I believe this book relates to this course for many different reasons. One of the first reasons is the course involves understanding how rewards and incentives influence behavior. In "The Power of Habit," Duhigg highlights the importance of rewards in reinforcing habits. Both the book and the course explore how intrinsic and extrinsic motivations play a role in driving behavior and sustaining habits. A second reason on how this book relates to the course is in the course we talked about self control and how to break habits. In the book the conversation of having self control takes place in order to break those bad unwanted habits.

After reading this book it made me think alot about habits whether they are good ones or bad ones. With that I have realized I have many habits that go completely unnoticed by me. For example one bad habit I have is bitting my nails. It has come to the point where I do not even realize I am doing it. This helps show how much having habits can affect and alter your mind. To add to this report I am adding a ted talk that further talks about the science behind having habits.

https://www.ted.com/talks/marco_badwal_the_science_of_habits