The power of habit chapter 6 summary

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The Power of Habit

Why we do what we do and how to change

By Charles Duhigg

This purpose of this summary is to give readers a detailed overview and review of the most important part of the book. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg is a very insightful. Duhigg explores several concepts that can be used to get ahead in our lives. This summary will help readers retain these important concepts and show them how to practice.

Contents

Introduction……………………………………………………………………….3

Prologue…………………………………………………………………………...5

Part One – The Habits of Individuals

Chapter 1: The Habit Loop – How Habit Works………………………...…6

Chapter 2: The Craving Brain – How to Create New Habits…………….....8

Chapter 3: The Golden Rule of Habit Change – Why Transformation Occurs………………………………………………………………………10

Part Two – The Habits of Successful Organizations

Chapter 4: Keystone Habits – Which Habits Matter Most…………………13

Chapter 5: The Habit of Success – When Willpower Becomes Automatic..14

Chapter 6: The Power of Crisis – Creating Habits through Accident and Design………………………………………………………………………16

Chapter 7: When Companies Predict and Manipulate Habits……………...17

Part Three – The Habits of Societies

Chapter 8: How Movements Happen………………………………………19

Chapter 9: The Neurology of Free Will – Are We Responsible For Our Habits............................................................................................................20

Introduction

The Power of Habit is an award-winning New York Times by Charles Duhigg. He is a business reporter by profession. In the book, he takes readers through scintillating yet detailed explanations of the reason habits exist and how they can be changed. He supports his arguments using scientific discoveries.

The book explores human nature; strives to make readers understand it, and the potential people hold that is the deciding factor in the quest to transform their lives.

“The Power of Habit” also explains why some people and companies find a hard time changing, despite years and years of trying. It also explains why, on the same note, some other people and companies seem to transform or remake overnight. Duhigg takes readers through scientific laboratories and interviews neuroscientists in a bid to explore just how habits work and the part of the brain responsible for habit.

Duhigg then takes reader through real life examples of successful people who employed the right habits. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, civil-rights hero Martin Luther King Junior, and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz are a few people that Duhigg reviews. He also delves deep inside large corporations and Social setups like Procter & Gamble, Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, Target Superstores, some of the largest hospitals in the US, and the NFL locker rooms. He shows how what he refers to as the “Keystone habits” are the deciding factor between life and death, failure and success.

He also delves into certain elements of our daily lives. How to exercise daily, raise exceptional children, build revolutionary companies, lose weight, become more productive, understand social movements and achieve success are some of the things that involve the workings of habits.

Charles Duhigg believes that habits are not destiny. It is something that people need to practice and harness it into their lives and businesses and it will definitely result to huge differences in our businesses, communities and lives.

Prologue

The Keystone Habit: Duhigg believes this is a focus on one pattern. This one pattern is what contributes to the reprograming other routines in people’s lives.

The example of riots in Iraq towns: Certain habits had been noted by the authorities every time violence erupted in Iraq. It usually started by a large crowd of people gathering in an area like a plaza or an open space. This crowd grew in size over the next few hours as spectators continue coming. Food vendors would then join the group in a bid to sell their products to the people in the crowd. A person would then throw a rock into the crowd and then chaos begins. This was a trend that was noticed by the police overtime and they decided to prohibit food vendors from entering the plaza and areas where the crowds liked. The crowds grew in size as usual but after some time, usually dusk, people started to get hungry and no food vendors were around to sell their kebabs. People would then just leave for their homes as the chanters became dispirited. Before 9 pm, everyone was gone.

Part One – The Habits of Individuals

Chapter 1: The Habit Loop – How Habits Work

Duhigg explains that our brains have been structured to process a three step loop with regards to habit. The first step is the cue. This, he states, is a mental trigger of some sort which tells the brain the habit to use while the automatic mode takes over. The second step is the routine. He explains this as something that exists in three ways; physical, emotional or mental. The final step is the reward. He states that the reward is something that the brain does in order to establish whether the habit, or the loop, is worth retaining for the future. Duhigg summarizes the loop as; cue-routine-reward.

If this habit is kept up, the brain makes it much more automatic and it will be something that a person does even without thinking until something else with much more craving comes up.

Duhigg notes that a habit prevents the brain from fully taking part in decision making. Instead it chooses to concentrate on other tasks. He believes that deliberately fighting a habit is essential to disrupting a pattern.

He is of the opinion that habits can never be fully destroyed, just suppressed.

Learning to create new neurological routines, Duhigg believes, is one way we can suppress certain habits and forcing them into the background. A new pattern can become automatic just like any other pattern.

Duhigg demonstrates a good example which he calls “McDonalds and Kids”. He says that innocent habits like deciding to stop by McDonalds while driving home to get some fast food on the go can quickly develop into a permanent habit. That once in a month decision to get fast food can quickly turn into once a week then twice in a week. He explains that habit develops in our minds without our permission and we should therefore be very careful.

After this develops into a cue and rewards habit as kids continue to consume unhealthy amounts of fast food, the mind is programmed to see as though every McDonalds looks the same and the employees say the same thing. This quickly becomes a trigger and your brain locks in the pattern. It is a continuous loop every time the kid feels hungry. Sometimes it happens even when the child is not very hungry. It can actually lead to gluttony tendencies in some cases.

Chapter 2: The Craving Brain – How to Create New Habits

According to Duhigg, the thing that makes cues and rewards work is craving. He holds that this is the thing that powers habit. As he puts it, craving works in two ways;

· It finds a simple or obvious cue in the mind.

· It then helps to define the rewards clearly.

Once the process is engaged, the habit loop begins.

Duhigg points out a way to create a new habit. He suggests that a person should work in the way craving does. What this means is that the mind should try to find for a new cue, routine and reward. The person should then train on how drive a craving that will power this new loop.

He insists that cue and reward alone are not enough to power new habits; or to keep habits going for long. When the brain starts to expect the reward, cravings will kick in coupled with a sense of accomplishment upon completing the loop. It is the same reason why some people find it easy to go jogging in the morning. Put simply, the cue must not only trigger a routine but also a craving for the reward that comes with it.

Duhigg draws an example from one toothpaste distributor to drive his point home. Claude Hopkins was a toothpaste manufacturer who decided to use a different approach in reaching a wider market. Instead of doing what other guys in the industry were doing, selling beautiful teeth, he made it about selling a satisfying sensation. He made people crave the cool tingling which they associated with cleanliness. Not long afterwards, brushing one’s teeth became a habit.

He points out that one industry which can definitely use the same approach or change their tact in advertisement is the sunscreen industry. Statistics have showed that less than 10% of Americans use sunscreen. This is because of failure of the industry to induce people to crave application of sunscreen before leaving their homes.

He concludes this chapter by saying that craving is what powers habit. To create a new habit, the person has to figure out how to induce a new craving. It makes the work easier.

Chapter 3: The Golden Rule of Habit Change – Why Transformation Occurs

Duhigg believes that bad habits cannot be gotten rid of completely just like that. Instead, they can be carved into better habits. To do this, he suggests that the old cue and reward should be maintained but the routine is the one that has to be changed. Shifting the routine, he says, is much easier than finding new cues and new rewards.

A good example to illustrate this is the Alcoholics Anonymous or AA as it is commonly known. AAs have been successful because they employ the same strategy of maintaining the old cues and rewards but transforming the routine. It is actually one of the principles of the program to help addicts identify the cues and rewards that encourage their habits. During those sessions you will find that the addicts are encouraged to talk about the reasons why they drink and what they hope to achieve after taking that drink.

The most common reasons for drinking for addicts are usually to escape reality, forget their worries and problems among several others. Addicts have more often than not attested to the fact that the physical effects of alcohol are not always as rewarding as they expect. In fact the rewards, in terms of the physical effects of alcohol, are more often than not, below par.

AA methods believe that the rewards addicts look for in alcohol are valid and the cues remain true as well. What they need to change is their approach, rather their routines. This means that drinking is not the way to achieve what they want or crave.

Many people, not just addicts, never fully understand their cravings until they start to assess them carefully.

Methods used in AA have proven to be very efficient. They have delivered great results and even other forms of therapies have now started to employ the same methods.

Studies have indicated that addicts who had the belief that a superior being or a higher power had entered their lives, had a much easier time during stressful periods as compared to those who did not. Religious folks would argue that it is God who took charge of the addicts’ lives which is alright. Duhigg though sees a different approach in this. He believes that it is that belief that powered them and kept them going but not necessarily the superior being or a higher power. The belief in something powerful transforming their lives spilled over to other aspect of their lives. Duhigg puts it that belief was the ingredient that pushed for the permanency of the new habit.

Giving people new habits is not enough. Giving them a belief that they can cope with any stressful situation without having to fall back on alcohol is the right approach. Otherwise, they will just face a difficult situation one day and relapsing will not be too far away.

AA is also successful because of the fact that change can occur easily when in a group. People facing similar situations will often incite and encourage each other to move on. This makes the potential of change much more real.

When in a group, you are bound to come across people who have made it work for them. If it has worked before for another person, then it can definitely work for another addict as well. Shared experiences will encourage the addict to view it as something that they too can accomplish.

Duhigg insists that keeping the same cue and reward but finding a new routine, is a much more effective way of getting over these tough times. This can succeed for a period of time only. To make this permanent, the addict also has to believe that change is possible and that they can take charge of their own lives and destiny.

Duhigg summarizes the chapter by pointing out key elements necessary for creating new habits and making them permanent. Join a group of like minds, identify the cues and rewards, and maintain them. Then go ahead and find a new routine to employ. Cultivate a belief in the system and that it can work for you and then keep on practicing and before you know it, it will have become an automatic process for you.

Part Two – The Habits of Successful Organizations

Chapter 4: Keystone Habits – Which Habits Matter Most

As described earlier, Keystone Habits are those which are crucial to the functioning of any system. They are the habits that matter most in any organization or setup. Duhigg says that these habits can start a chain reaction and lead to transformation of a lot of things.

When Keystone Habits are removed or shifted, other patterns will immediately take effect. It can lead to a whole remake of a process.

One major principle of Keystone Habits is that it does not define success as the ability to win every single thing or get every single thing right. It instead dwells on the fact that success can be achieved by identifying and capitalizing on a few opportunities and important priorities. This will inevitably lead to great successes.

Duhigg points out families that maintain a habit of having dinner together are associated with smart children who complete their homework on time and in the correct manner, better grades, increased confidence and greater motional skills.

He believes that Keystone Habits lead to “small wins” and creation of new structures.

Small wins can be achieved by concentrating on small important tasks. Once a small win has been achieved, the second one is set in motion. With a steady application of advantages, many small wins can lead to the success of an organization.

He says that Keystone Habits encourage change and transforms cultural values. They have the potential to unravel resources necessary for success and barriers preventing success.

Chapter 5: The Habit of Success – When Willpower Becomes Automatic

Duhigg describes willpower as the most important element or keystone habit necessary for success of a person.

He believes that it is a skill and a muscle at the same time that can get weary with time, especially if a person works very hard. Willpower needs to be used wisely. For example, if you want to go for a jog after work, it is important that you do not use up all your willpower during the day by performing difficult tasks that drain you mentally.

Duhigg points out an experiment carried out in the past. The experiment, dubbed The Willpower Experiment, aimed to study the effects of will power. The test subject was 29 people who signed up for money management that lasted 4 months. During the test period, the participants kept detailed logs of how they were spending their money. Obviously the basic result was proper management of money. There were however other side effects that came with it. Participants cut the amount of money that they spent on luxury goods. Their alcohol intake and number of cigarettes that they smoked also reduced along with junk food. As a result, it improved their productivity at work and at home. This only goes to show that willpower is directly related to the success of an individual and business.

Duhigg explains that signing up kids for piano lessons; games or other activities are a good practice to improve their willpower. This is because it trains them to push themselves or go the extra mile.

He explains that willpower can be made into a habit by identifying and choosing a certain behavior and then sticking to the routine.

He concludes by saying that in order for willpower to last longer, the person has to be made to realize that whatever they are doing is for their own benefit. They have to see that the will be drawing some reward from acting on that willpower. If instead it feels like following orders, they will get tired and run out of willpower real fast.

Chapter 6: The Power of Crisis – Creating Habits through Accident and Design

Decision making in companies is guided by the patterns, habits and independent decisions of their employees.

Duhigg believes that routines reduce uncertainty. He explains it by first acknowledging that routines account for hundreds of unwritten laws within an organization and outside the organization when dealing with competitors, clients and the authorities. Routines provide workers with room for experimentation without obtaining permission from senior management or supervisors. It is the reason why quitting of an important senior staff does not rattle or shake the company.

Routines are responsible for creating truces between rivals or individuals in an organization.

The basic idea is that following established patterns and honoring the truce agreement provides a warm environment for operation of business. Profits will roll in, companies will thrive, and everyone becomes rich. It is in a way a win-win situation.

It is important to note that the truce can only last if it provides real justice to the parties.

Duhigg notes that successful organizations clearly draft out the rules, cultivate habits that foster balanced peace and make it crystal clear of the authority in the company.

Some smart senior executives have managed to restructure a crippling company by inducing change in their habits. Some have even managed to create their own perception of crisis in order to convince the employees to change their habits.

Such change will lead to a development of a new pattern in ways of carrying out activities in the organization and re-establish new set of unwritten laws which will be inculcated into the employees.

Chapter 7: When Companies Predict and Manipulate Habits

Duhigg notes that in almost all grocery stores, what greets you at the entrance are finely arranged, attractive looking piles of colorful vegetables and fruits. This immediately induces the brain to reach out and stock up some in our shopping carts. The thing is, after loading up on healthy vegetables and stuff; we are more likely to get that frozen pizza as we continue our shopping.

He further notes that buying habits in people are bound to change after achieving certain important milestones in life. A good example is marriage. After marriage, someone’s brand of a beverage, say coffee, is likely to change.

He also draws an example from the music and songs we hear. When a person listens to music, their brain is actively trying to pick out a pattern so that it can create familiarity. This is the reason why we can listen to familiar music despite the loud and distractive sounds in the surroundings.

Duhigg concludes this chapter by noting that the human mind is designed to react on cues. In this case, the cue is our recognition or acknowledgement that a particular song sounds like some songs you like or exactly like a particular song you have heard before. The brain then reacts on the rewards. In this case, the reward is the enjoyment and pleasant feeling you get when you sing or hum along. It explains why we immediately change the station, raise the volume or break into dancing or body movements.

Part Three – The Habits of Societies

Chapter 8: How Movements Happen

In the first section Duhigg examines social habits. He points out that, social habits are the reason why you can see protestors, who do not know each other and have never met, join one another for a common cause on the streets. It is for this reason that some of worldly initiatives are born.

Sociologists and historians who have studied movements explain that birth of any movement takes a place in three parts:

· Friendship and close ties are often the reason for the beginning of social habits

· Weak ties holding clans or neighborhoods coupled together with a community’s habits are the reason movements grow.

· The leader’s rules and new habits channeled to the participants of the movement, gives them a sense of identity and ownership and it is the reason why movements endure.

These three parts are essential and need to be completed for a movement to thrive.

Duhigg continues to explore the role of weak ties in any society. He notes that weak ties are more important than strong ties because they represent friends of friends or shared acquaintances. They provide members with access to networks which they would not otherwise be privileged to. He notes that this is important in developing widespread social change and lasting and strong movements.

He further delves into the habits of peer pressure. Peer pressure is the force behind certain allegiances to certain groups. He also believes that peer pressure is the basic ingredient for both strong ties in friendship.

In conclusion, he states that movements rely on social patterns and start lasting friendships.

Chapter 9: The Neurology of Free Will – Are We Responsible for Our Habits?

Scientific studies have shown that the brain, the body’s primary neurological structure, paralyses our limbs when resting to allow us to experience dreams without having to move around.

Duhigg draws a final example from gamblers and gambling in general. While pathological gamblers interpret a near miss as an almost win, non-pathological gamblers interpret near miss as normal loss. He explains this as the habit and tendencies cultivated by gamblers in their brains. It explains the reason why a gambler wants to keep going even though he has lost too much already. For them, any near miss or any miss is just a step closer to their ultimate win. It is like every near miss fuels the urge to go on.

Duhigg concludes by stating that habits can change and that the power to change them rests solely on our hands. We just need to recognize a bad habit, believe that you can change, work on it, and then the change becomes real. He says that a habit is what one chooses it to be.

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