The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

Scientists have designed a wide variety of experiments to analyze habit formation in the brain. Describe five of the experiments that Duhigg discusses in the book. What roles have patients or animals played in those studies?

The author’s case studies are drawn from predominantly American-based companies, organizations, and research labs. Why do you think Duhigg adopted such an American lens? Is there evidence that habit formation in the human brain varies across nationalities?

Duhigg is interested in how corporations have used the power of habit to market their products. Using examples from the book, what are some of the ethical controversies that can result from companies manipulating consumers’ habit routines to sell them goods? Do you think Duhigg approves or disapproves of this type of corporate marketing?

Do you agree that we are culpable for our habits? Do individuals wield more or less responsibility for their bad patterns than larger organizations?

In each chapter, the author introduces multiple people, from CEOs and scientists to individuals struggling with addiction. At the end of the book, the reader has learned the names of dozens of people. Do you think this type of detail was effective? Why or why not?

In the Appendix, Duhigg describes his daily cookie-eating routine and how he changed that habit. What habit loops can you identify in your own life?

The author provides examples of how the same habit loop (cue > routine > reward) functions within individual humans, organizations, and social groups. Drawing on case studies from the book, analyze how habit loops materialize within successively larger groups of people; do they stay the same, or change? Is it easier to change an individual’s habit loops than, say, an entire company’s?

Rosa Parks was not the first African American woman to refuse to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery bus, but her small act of rebellion sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Using the theories introduced in Chapter 8, including strong and weak ties, explain why Parks’s civil disobedience spurred a much larger social movement. According to Duhigg, why do some social movements fail and some succeed?