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The Science of Habits: Why we do what we do and How to Change it?
Are you struggling to change your habits? Do you want to understand the science behind why you keep repeating the same behaviors, and how you can break free from them? Look no further than "The Science of Habits"!
This groundbreaking book delves into the inner workings of our brains and why we develop habits in the first place. From the initial trigger to the reward at the end, author Adarsh Gupta breaks down every step of this Habit Cycle.
But "The Science of Habits" doesn't stop at understanding how habits are created, you also get practical tips and exercises to break free from your ingrained habits and develop new, healthier ones. Whether you want to stop smoking, start exercising more, or simply be more mindful in your daily life, this book will give you the tools you need to make lasting change.
You also get access to the Habit Cycle Worksheet. The principles of the worksheet are utilized in Chapter 5, to overcome some common bad habits, such as stopping smoking, eating unhealthy food, and procrastinating.
This book featuresEvidence-based explanationsPractical tips and strategies to overcome bad habitsA three-step process to analyze your current habit and change itHabit-Cycle Worksheet.
This groundbreaking book delves into the inner workings of our brains and why we develop habits in the first place. From the initial trigger to the reward at the end, author Adarsh Gupta breaks down every step of this Habit Cycle.
But "The Science of Habits" doesn't stop at understanding how habits are created, you also get practical tips and exercises to break free from your ingrained habits and develop new, healthier ones. Whether you want to stop smoking, start exercising more, or simply be more mindful in your daily life, this book will give you the tools you need to make lasting change.
You also get access to the Habit Cycle Worksheet. The principles of the worksheet are utilized in Chapter 5, to overcome some common bad habits, such as stopping smoking, eating unhealthy food, and procrastinating.
This book featuresEvidence-based explanationsPractical tips and strategies to overcome bad habitsA three-step process to analyze your current habit and change itHabit-Cycle Worksheet.
105 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 2, 2024
3 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 26, 2024
This is a well written, well presented and clearly well researched book on a topic which I imagine will be of interest to many readers.
The author, a physician, counsellor and consultant specialising in healthy habits coaching, covers the ground with assurance, clarity and a good structure.
The first chapters describe (and illustrate with a handy graphic) the Habit Cycle, namely how habits are formed and maintained, and general aspects of the science of habit formation, including the role of genetics, the unconscious mind, childhood experiences, emotional intelligence and the social context. The book then moves to the more practical themes of how to change habits, discussing mindfulness, motivation, will power and techniques to maximise the likelihood of success, as well as common obstacles including procrastination and distractions.
Continuing the narrowing focus, the author then turns to specific habits which many would wish to change, including smoking, excessive / unhealthy eating, nail biting, drinking alcohol and spending too much time on screen.
The concluding section has more to offer on the underlying science of how habits are formed.
Overall this is a book which provides accessible advice to those wishing to break bad habits, including but not limited to those specifically mentioned given that much of the advice is general.
The tone is constructive, helpful and practical with clear explanations and useful suggested steps. The structure of the book is simple and sensible and there is a helpful summary at the end of each chapter.
A couple of downsides for me, though each with a caveat. First, there is a lot of repetition. The habit cycle is described numerous times, both generally and in relation to specific habits. As I was reading the whole book from start to finish, I found this became irritating; however, I can see that for someone who picks up the book with a view to reading about a specific habit it would be useful and save the reader cross-referencing.
Similarly, the multiple references to ’research shows’, ‘studies suggest’ etc soon began to pall, but nonetheless serve as timely reminders that the analysis and recommendations are mostly evidence-based.
And, while the frequent endnote references demonstrate the last point, I would have liked the numbers to link directly to the comprehensive sources that are listed at the end of the book.
But these are all minor quibbles, and to conclude I would recommend this book as a primer to anyone struggling to overcome a bad habit.
The author, a physician, counsellor and consultant specialising in healthy habits coaching, covers the ground with assurance, clarity and a good structure.
The first chapters describe (and illustrate with a handy graphic) the Habit Cycle, namely how habits are formed and maintained, and general aspects of the science of habit formation, including the role of genetics, the unconscious mind, childhood experiences, emotional intelligence and the social context. The book then moves to the more practical themes of how to change habits, discussing mindfulness, motivation, will power and techniques to maximise the likelihood of success, as well as common obstacles including procrastination and distractions.
Continuing the narrowing focus, the author then turns to specific habits which many would wish to change, including smoking, excessive / unhealthy eating, nail biting, drinking alcohol and spending too much time on screen.
The concluding section has more to offer on the underlying science of how habits are formed.
Overall this is a book which provides accessible advice to those wishing to break bad habits, including but not limited to those specifically mentioned given that much of the advice is general.
The tone is constructive, helpful and practical with clear explanations and useful suggested steps. The structure of the book is simple and sensible and there is a helpful summary at the end of each chapter.
A couple of downsides for me, though each with a caveat. First, there is a lot of repetition. The habit cycle is described numerous times, both generally and in relation to specific habits. As I was reading the whole book from start to finish, I found this became irritating; however, I can see that for someone who picks up the book with a view to reading about a specific habit it would be useful and save the reader cross-referencing.
Similarly, the multiple references to ’research shows’, ‘studies suggest’ etc soon began to pall, but nonetheless serve as timely reminders that the analysis and recommendations are mostly evidence-based.
And, while the frequent endnote references demonstrate the last point, I would have liked the numbers to link directly to the comprehensive sources that are listed at the end of the book.
But these are all minor quibbles, and to conclude I would recommend this book as a primer to anyone struggling to overcome a bad habit.
June 12, 2024
The author provides a good review of how habits are developed and why habits are important to people and does so in a down-to-earth way that anyone can understand.
I noticed an interesting duality in that habits are important because they can reduce complexity in the long run, but we have to be careful as we can unknowingly build bad habits that become intractable over time.
The Author does a great job articulating how the habit loop works and highlights the importance of reward (motivation). I didn't fully grasp this until a few days after reading the book, but it makes sense that motivation is key to incentivizing all we humans do.
For the self help people out there, the author highlights when a person is trying to purposely change or build new habits how important it is to use immediate rewards in the habit loop as they are better than delayed rewards to establish the new behavior.
I found the book to be insightful in how it portrays an understanding of will power and motivation. I think the author did a great job of keying in on the most important points that any self-help type of reader will find to be very beneficial.
I noticed an interesting duality in that habits are important because they can reduce complexity in the long run, but we have to be careful as we can unknowingly build bad habits that become intractable over time.
The Author does a great job articulating how the habit loop works and highlights the importance of reward (motivation). I didn't fully grasp this until a few days after reading the book, but it makes sense that motivation is key to incentivizing all we humans do.
For the self help people out there, the author highlights when a person is trying to purposely change or build new habits how important it is to use immediate rewards in the habit loop as they are better than delayed rewards to establish the new behavior.
I found the book to be insightful in how it portrays an understanding of will power and motivation. I think the author did a great job of keying in on the most important points that any self-help type of reader will find to be very beneficial.
June 27, 2024
I don't tend to read a lot of self-help books but 'The Science of Habits: Why we do what we do and How to Change it?' by Adarsh Gupta, was a quick and easy-to-read guide on habits and how to break them.
If you are looking for some techniques and tips on breaking bad habits, forming new ones, or just want to understand how your brain works better, this will be a good book for you. Although, if you have delved into this subject before, it will be more of a refresher.
I had already come across much of this information before, but the book is easily digestible and gives a good overview, albeit in a repetitive manner. I did pick up some good new tips, though, as well as some useful reminders on how to break habits, particularly regarding procrastination which is my biggest frustration!
If you are looking for some techniques and tips on breaking bad habits, forming new ones, or just want to understand how your brain works better, this will be a good book for you. Although, if you have delved into this subject before, it will be more of a refresher.
I had already come across much of this information before, but the book is easily digestible and gives a good overview, albeit in a repetitive manner. I did pick up some good new tips, though, as well as some useful reminders on how to break habits, particularly regarding procrastination which is my biggest frustration!
June 1, 2024
Extremely encouraging
I'm 63 and fed up of saying I don't have any willpower.
I want to change my mindset, so when I saw the title of this book, I thought, I need that! And I'm very glad I picked it up.
I took lots of notes and found the whole book simply written with clear and understandable (and definitely obtainable) steps for changing one's habits.
From chapter 3 onwards was the best part for me, when the author starts explaining 'how' you can change your habits. The steps are simple, logical, and definitely doable. I can't wait to put it all into practice.
Great book, highly recommend.
I'm 63 and fed up of saying I don't have any willpower.
I want to change my mindset, so when I saw the title of this book, I thought, I need that! And I'm very glad I picked it up.
I took lots of notes and found the whole book simply written with clear and understandable (and definitely obtainable) steps for changing one's habits.
From chapter 3 onwards was the best part for me, when the author starts explaining 'how' you can change your habits. The steps are simple, logical, and definitely doable. I can't wait to put it all into practice.
Great book, highly recommend.
July 16, 2024
Eager to give it a shot
The author didn't go over the two bad habits I need to break, but there were several examples to go off of.
The author didn't go over the two bad habits I need to break, but there were several examples to go off of.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews