The Power of Habit

Written Assignmentfor HUMS 201 – The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

The goal of the project is to have you read, understand and be able to utilize the concepts and information contained in the book, The Power of Habit.If you understand how habits are formed and maintained you will learn something incredible important, how to change them.

There are many reasons it is difficult to change a destructive habit but one of the most significant obstacles is the unconscious nature of habits, they are so common, so automatic and so ubiquitous that they disappear.It is also the goal of this project to increase your awareness of your habits, how they are formed and maintained so that you can exert conscious control over them.The implication is simple, if you can understand and change your own habits, you are more likely to be able to help others understand and change their habits.

1. What are the three parts of the habit loop? Give a real world example of a habit loop.”When a habit emerges, the brain stops fully participating in decision making (Duhigg, 2014).”What is the benefit to your brain of habit loops in everyday activities?

2. Describe the process of creating new habits using the examples of Pepsodent and Frebreze as presented in the book.

3. Explain the golden rule of habit change. Can you really get rid of bad habits completely? Give a brief description of the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous (Bill W. and Dr. Bob) and how AA attacks the habits of drinking alcohol.

4. Explain keystone habits.Why does certain habits like exercise, making your bed in the morning or scheduling your week lead to small wins?Do you do any of these things?

5.How does the department store Target know your daughter is pregnant before you do based on changes in her purchasing habits?

6. Use the goal wheel provided below to analyze areas of your life that you would like to improve.Identify a less than helpful habit that that is hindering you in achieving a goal.Be specific about the cues, routines and reward that have kept the unhealthy habit in place.

7. Develop a behavior change plan based on what you have learned about the power of habits to replace this unhelpful habit with one that is more likely to help you achieve your goal.Again, be specific about changes in cues, routines and rewards.

The paper is to be 7-8 pages in length, double spaced, utilizing Times New Roman font at 11 points.You will have a title page that does not count toward the 7-8 pages and you will number the pages in the top right corner starting after the title page.You will have a bibliography page with at least one reference on it, The Power of Habit.You can add more if you have additional references.Please double check your work to avoid spelling, grammatical and punctuation errors. Contact me with questions, concerns or minor panic attacks.