The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business (Summary)
Imagine a man named Eugene Pauly who, due to a viral infection, completely lost his short-term memory. He couldn't remember what he ate for breakfast or even recognize his own doctor. Yet, every morning, he could navigate his house, go for a walk around his block without getting lost, and find the kitchen when he was hungry. How? His brain's habit-forming region, the basal ganglia, was intact. He was living proof that our habits are so powerful they can function even when our conscious mind is gone.
Every Habit Follows a Three-Step Loop
All habits, from brushing your teeth to checking your phone, are governed by a simple neurological loop: a cue that triggers the brain to go into automatic mode, a routine (the behavior itself), and a reward that helps the brain remember this pattern for the future.
To create a nationwide tooth-brushing habit, advertiser Claude Hopkins didn't sell clean teeth; he sold a reward. He created a craving for the cool, tingling sensation of Pepsodent toothpaste. The cue was the fuzzy 'film' on teeth, the routine was brushing, and the reward was that satisfying clean feeling, which cemented the habit for millions.
Change the Routine, Not the Cue or Reward
The golden rule of habit change is not to resist a craving, but to redirect it. To change a bad habit, you must keep the same cue and deliver the same reward, but insert a new, more constructive routine in the middle.
Alcoholics Anonymous is successful because it addresses the cues and rewards of drinking. A person might have a cue (stress) and seek a reward (relief/companionship). AA provides a new routine: instead of drinking, call your sponsor or go to a meeting. This provides the same reward—relief and companionship—but replaces the destructive routine with a supportive one.
Keystone Habits Trigger Widespread Change
Some habits, known as 'keystone habits,' act as catalysts that cause a chain reaction of other good habits to form. Focusing on changing one keystone habit can transform your entire life or organization.
When Paul O'Neill became CEO of the struggling aluminum company Alcoa, he didn't talk about profits. He focused obsessively on one thing: worker safety. This single keystone habit forced a cascade of changes in communication, processes, and culture, which ultimately led Alcoa to become one of the best-performing stocks on the Dow.
Willpower is a Muscle You Can Train
Willpower isn't a constant trait but a finite resource that can be depleted, like a muscle getting tired. However, by making positive behaviors into automatic habits, you conserve this mental energy for when you truly need it.
In a famous experiment, one group of students was told to resist fresh-baked cookies and eat radishes instead, while another group could eat the cookies. Afterward, both were given a difficult puzzle. The radish group, having depleted their willpower, gave up on the puzzle far more quickly than the cookie-eaters. This demonstrates that willpower is a limited resource that gets used up.
