Power of Habit provides actionable ways to change one’s habit.
One of my favorite quotes comes from an ad by Cadbury Bournvita titled ‘Aadatein’ or habits. In this ad, a mother trains her son and pushes him every day by saying “Aadatein na ek din me banti hain, na asaani se (habits are neither formed in one day nor easily).”
These lines kept echoing in my head as I read Charles Duhigg’s Power of Habit. The author describes habit as “a choice that we deliberately make at some point, and then stop thinking about, but continue doing, often every day.” The book tries to answer questions on why and how habits are formed, when a routine becomes a habit and provides a framework to change one’s habit. The book goes further — describing the habit formation of businesses and societies, how firms cultivate good habits in their employees, and how crisis pushes companies to pivot their work culture.
The book breaks down habit formation into three simple steps: Cue — Routine — Reward. Imagine an employee takes a cigarette break every day at 3 pm. In this case, time triggers the habit (Cue). The employee goes outside and smokes a cigarette (Routine). After smoking, the employee feels less stressed (Reward). Over time, this cycle gets etched into the mind and starts repeating it unconsciously.
But how do we know this is a habit? The author discusses the results of a study conducted on monkeys in the 1990s. In this experiment, the monkey is supposed to touch a lever when it sees a shape appear on the screen. Once it pushes the lever, it is rewarded with a drop of blackberry juice.
Initially, the monkey experiences happiness (through brain scans) when it receives the reward. But later, it starts experiencing happiness just after seeing the shape on the screen. This craving for the reward — even before receiving the reward — crystallizes a routine into a habit.
Many of us wish to discontinue unhealthy habits and cultivate healthy ones. The author recommends changing the routine while retaining cue and reward. For example, imagine when you reach home after work (cue), you eat a pack of chips (routine) to de-stress yourself (reward). Now instead, change the routine by replacing chips with an apple but cue and reward remain the same. This initiates a change of habit.
The author acknowledges habits can’t be erased. But it could be replaced. You are likely to fall back to old habits if you are not vigilant. It is, thus, important to become aware of the cue that triggers the routine. In the above case, keeping an apple within an eyeshot when you return from work could do the trick.
The book includes interesting stories such as how Starbucks trains its employees to be courteous through building a habit model; how Target knew a teenage daughter was pregnant even before her father by analyzing purchasing habits; and how Micheal Phelps trained for Olympics by developing daily habits. My favorite one was the story of how Pepsodent transformed America’s dental health — from hardly anyone brushing their teeth in the 1920s to establishing tooth-brushing as a daily activity by the early 1930s. The secret of their success was an additive that created a cool, tingling sensation (but no cleaning benefits). This sensation induced craving — a reward for a mundane morning routine.
There are some parts of the book that I don’t feel convinced by — such as the habit formation of societies, where the author attributes the success of movements to reputation and weak ties (second-degree connections) of the leader. In this case, the author tries hard to fit a seminal moment like the civil rights movement in the US within the narrow domain of habit formation.
However, the most relevant part of the book is in the appendix titled “A Reader’s Guide to Using These Ideas.” In other words, how to change a habit? Let’s assume you eat one cookie every day as an evening snack. Charles Duhigg provides a four-step plan:
- Identify the routine: Identify the habit that you want to change. In this case, it would be eating a cookie.
- Adjust your reward: Experiment with your reward like on the first day, eat an apple; the second day, take a walk; the third day, a cup of coffee, and so on. After each activity, note how you feel. If you feel hungry after 15 minutes, then you need to eat something (hopefully healthy). If you don’t feel hungry after 15 minutes, talking to your friend or a cup of coffee should suffice.
- Isolate the cue: It is important to identify what triggers the habit. Do you eat due to emotional (bored) or physiological need (hunger), location (office desk), time (evening), or a linked earlier activity? This enables you to become more self-aware and as a result, resistant to the routine.
- Design a plan: Write your alternate plan retaining the cue and rewarding yourself appropriately. Something like: At 4 pm, I will take a walk for 15 minutes.
Hopefully, this would lead to a change of habit.
In conclusion, Power of Habit is a quick read that provides what, why, how, when of habit formation, and actionable steps to change our habits. As Charles mentions, “Change might not be fast and it isn’t always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.” Or should I say, “Aadatein na ek din me banti hain, na asaani se.”
