A landmark book about how we form habits, and what we can do
with this knowledge to make positive change
We spend a shocking 43 percent of our day doing things
without thinking about them. That means that almost half of our actions aren’t
conscious choices but the result of our non-conscious mind nudging our body to
act along learned behaviors.
How we respond to the people around us; the way we conduct
ourselves in a meeting; what we buy; when and how we exercise, eat, and drink—a
truly remarkable number of things we do every day, regardless of their
complexity, operate outside of our awareness. We do them automatically. We do
them by habit. And yet, whenever we want to change something about ourselves,
we rely on willpower.
We keep turning to our conscious selves, hoping that our
determination and intention will be enough to effect positive change. And that
is why almost all of us fail. But what if you could harness the extraordinary
power of your unconscious mind, which already determines so much of what you
do, to truly reach your goals?
Wendy Wood draws on three decades of original research to
explain the fascinating science of how we form habits, and offers the key to
unlocking our habitual mind in order to make the changes we seek.
A potent mix of neuroscience, case studies, and experiments
conducted in her lab, Good Habits, Bad Habits is a comprehensive, accessible,
and above all deeply practical book that will change the way you think about
almost every aspect of your life.
By explaining how our brains are wired to respond to
rewards, receive cues from our surroundings, and shut down when faced with too
much friction, Wood skillfully dissects habit formation, demonstrating how we
can take advantage of this knowledge to form better habits.
Her clear and incisive work shows why willpower alone is
woefully inadequate when we’re working toward building the life we truly want,
and offers real hope for those who want to make positive change.
About the Author
Wendy Wood is Provost Professor of Psychology
and Business at the University of Southern California.
She has written for The Washington Post and
the Los Angeles Times, and her work has been featured in The New
York Times, the Chicago Tribune, Time magazine,
and USA Today, and on NPR.
She lectures widely and recently launched the website Good
Habits Bad Habits to convey scientific insight on habit to the general public.
