updated 7h ago
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
Telling someone to run their tongue across their teeth, it turned out, was likely to cause them to run their tongue across their teeth. And when they did, they were likely to feel a film. Hopkins had found a cue that was simple, had existed for ages, and was so easy to trigger that an advertisement could cause people to comply automatically. Moreov
... See morefrom The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
Bryan Sivak added 2mo ago
It wasn’t God that mattered, the researchers figured out. It was belief itself that made a difference. Once people learned how to believe in something, that skill started spilling over to other parts of their lives, until they started believing they could change. Belief was the ingredient that made a reworked habit loop into a permanent behavior.
from The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
Bryan Sivak added 2mo ago
Just as frequently, however, there was no tragedy that preceded people’s transformations. Rather, they changed because they were embedded in social groups that made change easier.
from The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
Bryan Sivak added 2mo ago
It’s not hard to find an analog in the human world. Consider fast food, for instance. It makes sense—when the kids are starving and you’re driving home after a long day —to stop, just this once, at McDonald’s or Burger King. The meals are inexpensive. It tastes so good. After all, one dose of processed meat, salty fries, and sugary soda poses a rela
... See morefrom The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
Bryan Sivak added 2mo ago
However, even these habits are delicate. When a fast food restaurant closes down, the families that previously ate there will often start having dinner at home, rather than seek out an alternative location. Even small shifts can end the pattern. But since we often don’t recognize these habit loops as they grow, we are blind to our ability to contro
... See morefrom The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
Bryan Sivak added 2mo ago
So what, exactly, did Hopkins do? He created a craving. And that craving, it turns out, is what makes cues and rewards work. That craving is what powers the habit loop.
from The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
Bryan Sivak added 2mo ago
It is facile to imply that smoking, alcoholism, overeating, or other ingrained patterns can be upended without real effort. Genuine change requires work and self-understanding of the cravings driving behaviors.
from The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
Bryan Sivak added 2mo ago
If you want to lose weight, study your habits to determine why you really leave your desk for a snack each day, and then find someone else to take a walk with you, to gossip with at their desk rather than in the cafeteria, a group that tracks weight-loss goals together, or someone who also wants to keep a stock of apples, rather than chips, nearby.
from The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
Bryan Sivak added 2mo ago
The evidence is clear: If you want to change a habit, you must find an alternative routine, and your odds of success go up dramatically when you commit to changing as part of a group. Belief is essential, and it grows out of a communal experience, even if that community is only as large as two people.
from The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
Bryan Sivak added 2mo ago