Power of Habit Book Review

 The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg is a great book the explains the science behind our habits. The Book uses a combination of story telling and scientific researches which makes the book a lot more easier to understand. Duhigg used real life stories to support scientific explanations to habits. His concept of the "habit loop," consisting of cue, routine, and reward, serves as a foundational tool for understanding how habits work and how they can be transformed. 

My favorite part of the book was the story of Eugene Paul. He lost a part of his brain where scientist believe to be where our memories are stored. Although he remembers past memories before he lost a part of his brain it was hard for him to gain new memories. People would introduce themselves to him but after a few seconds he will forget their name. The part that shows how the power of habit is one day he got out of the house, because he cannot store new memories he does not know how to get home, but he did. This is because his wife and him will take a walk every morning which was the routine that showed him how to get home, even though he cannot tell you the direction to his house. This story of Eugene Paul was the beginning of further studying the science behind habits. 

Charles Duhigg also explained that the concept of "habit loop" is what successful marketing strategies is based on. The febreeze spray was meant to be used for removing foul smell, but consumers did not use them because they will forget about it. They cannot add it as a routine so what they did was add it as a reward. So they put a pleasant fragrant to the spray that will make cleaning more noticeable because it does not just look clean but also smells clean. 

The book also explained how to improve self control, by improving the strength of our willpower. By adding something we do not necessarily want to do in our daily routine. The stronger our willpower is the easier it is for us to do other things that is out of our comfort zone. Duhigg compared willpower to our muscles, someone who works out more will have a stronger muscle and it will be easier for them to lift heavier objects.