Sometimes I jot down notes as I'm reading for the blog. I looked over my notes before writing this post, and I had a roller coaster ride of opinions on the book. My first impression was not favorable. It starts out with what I would call a technical explanation of how your brain handles habits. It's very informative and detailed, using too much brain lingo (basal ganglia). Not sure the casual reader cares about this stuff. For me, it got to the point where I almost gave up. I'm glad I didn't.
The rest of the book focuses on examples to support the author's thesis. There's three steps to a habit: a cue, a routine, and a reward. He discusses how habits are developed and how you can recognize them. One of the author's first examples is brushing your teeth. How did this become a habit? It's strange to think of today because it is a part of our everyday life. It really goes back to the 1920's when Pepsodent was marketed. There were other toothpastes at the time, but no one used them. It's interesting to read how it was marketed and also what really was a key driver in people using Pepsodent over other toothpastes.
Other examples included how the CEO of Alcoa focused specifically on worker safety and how changing that habit ended up changing the entire company. How people were persuaded to use Febreze and now earns Procter & Gamble one billion dollars a year. How Target uses predictive analytics to predict when customers are pregnant based on the shopping habits of women. The author also highlights everyday habits, such as smoking, exercising, and gambling. He looks at how social habits influence your behaviors in your community. I found a lot of it fascinating to think about.
My rating for The Power of Habit: 3 stars out of 5. Get it here!
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