At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, being more productive, and achieving success is understanding how habits work. As Duhigg shows, by harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.
My name is Charles Duhigg. I’m the author of The Power of Habit, about the science of habit formation in our lives, companies and societies, and Smarter Faster Better, about the science of productivity.
I currently write at The New Yorker Magazine, and until a few years ago, I was a reporter at the New York Times. There, I wrote such series as “The iEconomy” which focused on Apple and won a Pulitzer prize for explanatory reporting in 2013. I also contributed to other series, including “Golden Opportunities,” “The Reckoning,” and “Toxic Waters.”
I’m also a native of New Mexico. I studied history at Yale and received an MBA from Harvard Business School. I have appeared on This American Life, N.P.R., The Newshour with Jim Lehrer, and Frontline. Before becoming a journalist, I worked in private equity and – for one terrifying day – was a bike messenger in San Francisco.
I stumbled upon habits since psychology tends to be one of my go-to subjects. However, I never really thought much about the concept of habits in detail until I read The Power of Habit, and that’s when I felt like my whole life changed. I started making progress with my health, eating better, having better hygiene, and more good, and less bad habits in general. It was like the secrets to being human were unlocked to me, and thus began my journey into reading any book I could find, not just with the word habit in the title but even coming close to the topic such as why we get Hooked on our devices or why food these days can Capture us and never let go.
