zwong's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Scientific findings but easy to understand.
Stories like finger biting, gambling, target, sleep walking are good
Impossible is nothing
drew1013's review against another edition
4.0
I didn’t really know what to expect with this (self help? Science-y dryness? Vapid and obvious suggestions? One chapter of useful info followed by 10 more repetitive slogs?), but I’ve had the psychology of habits on my mind for awhile and it struck a chord. So, I picked it up.
In short, there is good info here, bolstered by academic studies and easy-to-understand breakdowns of the underlying psychological principles.
The examples are interesting, the book is never dry, and the framework offered for restructuring habits seems logical and effective. I haven’t tried it yet, but the process seems like it will take self-awareness, data collecting, and planning. So it’s simple, but not necessarily easy or obvious, which gives it some credibility.
Definitely recommend this to anyone interested in the psychology of the individual, data-driven and spooky company insights, or yes, to someone who wants to work on improving their habits.
In short, there is good info here, bolstered by academic studies and easy-to-understand breakdowns of the underlying psychological principles.
The examples are interesting, the book is never dry, and the framework offered for restructuring habits seems logical and effective. I haven’t tried it yet, but the process seems like it will take self-awareness, data collecting, and planning. So it’s simple, but not necessarily easy or obvious, which gives it some credibility.
Definitely recommend this to anyone interested in the psychology of the individual, data-driven and spooky company insights, or yes, to someone who wants to work on improving their habits.
saturnserina's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
sallielu's review against another edition
3.0
Big takeaways:
- Habit = cue, routine, reward
- Once you're aware of the habit, you can change it but only if you want to and are willing to do the hard work. Find the cue/routine/reward, and swap out the routine.
- Target example of how they identify customer habits to hit you with targeted advertising (e.g. using customer data to identify habits that indicate to them that you maybe be pregnant, specifically in your second trimester and probably with a due date in May... wtf lol) is creepy but also not altogether surprising either
- Casinos are pretty evil
I wish I liked the book more but some of the examples of how habits played a large role seemed quite tenuous e.g. Rosa Parks / civil rights movement or the King's Cross fire.
Found the beginning bit about the guy who couldn't form new memories quite compelling.
Altogether quite enjoyed learning about how ingrained and powerful habits are in everyone's life.
- Habit = cue, routine, reward
- Once you're aware of the habit, you can change it but only if you want to and are willing to do the hard work. Find the cue/routine/reward, and swap out the routine.
- Target example of how they identify customer habits to hit you with targeted advertising (e.g. using customer data to identify habits that indicate to them that you maybe be pregnant, specifically in your second trimester and probably with a due date in May... wtf lol) is creepy but also not altogether surprising either
- Casinos are pretty evil
I wish I liked the book more but some of the examples of how habits played a large role seemed quite tenuous e.g. Rosa Parks / civil rights movement or the King's Cross fire.
Found the beginning bit about the guy who couldn't form new memories quite compelling.
Altogether quite enjoyed learning about how ingrained and powerful habits are in everyone's life.