Charles Duhigg is an investigative reporter for The New York Times. He is a winner of the National Academies of Sciences, National Journalism, and George Polk awards, and was part of a team of finalists for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize. He is a frequent contributor to This American Life, NPR, PBS NewsHour, and Frontline. A graduate of Havard Business School and Yale College, he lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two kids.
Cue, routine, reward: that's how habits are formed. Duhigg, a George Polk Award-winning business reporter for the New York Times, relies on scientific research, classroom experiences, and business case studies to explain how habits are acquired, how they can be changed, and how changing just one can radically remake your life. Lots of media interest from places like the Today show, plus rights to 15 countries; it may sound like just another self-help title, but this one is looking big.
A thirty-four-year-old woman walks into a research laboratory outside Bethesda, Maryland. Over the past two years, she has changed almost every aspect of her life. She has quit smoking, lost forty pounds, run a marathon, and been promoted at work. The patterns inside her brain, neurologists are shocked to discover, have fundamentally changed. A group of marketers and psychologists at Proctor & Gamble gather in a conference room, watching videotapes of people making their beds. They??e trying to figure out how to sell a product named Febreze that, so far, is on track to become one of the biggest flops in the company?? history. Then, someone detects an almost imperceptible pattern in consumers??cleaning routines, and with just a slight shift in how the product is advertised, Febreze goes on to earn more than a billion dollars a year. A new, untested CEO takes over the helm of one of the oldest, largest, and stodgiest companies in America. He begins his tenure by noticing, then attacking, one pattern among employees-how they approach worker safety-and soon the firm, Alcoa, becomes the top performer in the Dow Jones. What do these people have in common? They all achieved success by focusing on the patterns that shape every aspect of our lives. They succeeded by transforming our habits. In The Power of Habit, award-winning New York Times business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain, for the first time, why habits exist and how they can be shaped and changed. The Power of Habit explores why some people and companies never achieve real transformation, despite years of trying, while others remake themselves almost overnight. It takes you inside laboratories where neuroscientists create and extinguish habits, as though flipping a switch. It tells the stories of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and civil rights hero Martin Luther King, Jr., and shows how the right habits were essential to their success. You??l go inside Proctor & Gamble, Rick Warren?? Saddleback Church, Target superstores, and the nation?? largest hospitals, where implementing so-called ??eystone habits??can earn billions and mean the difference between life and death. At its core, The Power of Habit contains a exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, becoming more productive, losing weight, raising exceptional children, tapping into our reserves of creativity, building revolutionary companies and social movements, conquering our most stubborn vices, and capturing success is to understand how habits work. And by harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives. From the Hardcover edition.
An award-winning "New York Times" business reporter takes readers to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. With penetrating intelligence and an ability to distill vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives, Duhigg brings to life a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential for transformation.
Advance praise for The Power of Habit "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 Neuroscientistand How We Decide "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 Greatand Built to Last From the Hardcover edition.
Praise for The Power of Habit "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 Timesbestselling Driveand A Whole New Mind "William James once observed that ninety-nine percent of human activity is done out of mere habit. In this fascinatingbook, 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 Neuroscientistand How We Decide "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 Greatand Built to Last "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 From the Hardcover edition.
Praise for The Power of Habit "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 Greatand Built to Last " The Power of Habitis 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 Timesbestselling Driveand 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 Neuroscientistand How We Decide From the Hardcover edition.
Praise for The Power of Habit "William James once observed that ninety-nine percent of human activity is done out of mere habit. In this fascinatingbook, 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 Neuroscientistand How We Decide "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 Greatand Built to Last From the Hardcover edition.