The Power of Habit Charles Duhigg (2012)

How many people picked this book up from a shop display already weighed down with “self-help” books? How many thought they were getting a popular science book? In fact The Power of Habit is both and neither. Duhigg is a award-winning science writer and it shows, He guides us, for example, through the science of market research and the ways in which statistics and data are used to predict consumer choice: his style is never dry even though he takes us into some pretty arid areas. On the other hand, the self-help dimension of the book is reflected in the appendix which lays out a simple plan to change your habits: if you paid attention earlier in the book (my own feeling is the first part is the best), you’d know that the most effective way to “break” a habit is actually to substitute another. I found myself troubled at times by the self help aspect, as Duhigg has dunk from the well of that most American philosopher, William James, someone whose influence permeates contemporary culture. “The will to believe”  lies at the heart of what it means to be human: or as paraphrased in so many films, soaps and books – “all you have to do is believe in yourself”. Three things rescue this book from this naive sinkhole: firstly, Duhigg’s relentless insistence on the importance of the very small detail throughout the book. Habits can be very small things that cumulatively make very big changes. Secondly he recognises that habits are institutionalised: it’s not just people who can be changed, but organisations. He argues that, as with the individual, habits may be not only natural but beneficial. Thirdly he goes back to the philosophical question (although not named as such) of free will: to what extent are we truly free and able to change our habits?

I confess to a bad habit; I rarely finish books. Well I started making a small change – I read to the end of this book.