Quicklet on Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business: Detailed Summary & Analysis
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
ABOUT THE BOOK
Charles Duhigg was a reporter in Iraq a decade ago when he heard about an army major who was analyzing videotapes of riots. He wanted to see if he could detect any patterns that might help him stop the riots before they began. He did.
First, a small crowd would gather in a plaza. Within a few hours, they would begin to chant angry slogans. Spectators would show up. Food vendors would arrive. Time would pass. The chanting would get louder. More time would pass. The spectators would remain in a relatively small space, except around dusk when they got hungry. They’d buy some food, then return to their original spot.
That was the pattern for most, but there were some who would march into the middle of the crowd, back out to the edge, back to the middle. Those were the troublemakers. One would throw a bottle, another would throw a rock. Within 15 minutes, there would be a full-scale riot.
The major told Duhigg that after observing this pattern, he scheduled a meeting with the town’s mayor. He made what must have seemed like an odd request. Would it be possible for the police to keep food vendors out of the plazas?
The mayor said yes.
A few weeks later, a small crowd gathered near a plaza. As the afternoon wore on, they began chanting angry slogans. Spectators showed up. Time passed. The chanting got louder. More time passed. Dusk fell. But this time, there were no food vendors to feed the crowd. Some went home to eat. Some went to restaurants. By 8PM, nearly everyone was gone. The riot never happened.
Duhigg asked the major what made him realize that something as simple as getting rid of the food vendors would end the riots.
The major said that the U.S. military had taught all about habits--how they’re formed, how they’re broken. The U.S. military, he said, was “one of the biggest habit-formation experiments in history” and that understanding habits was “the most important thing” he’d learned in the army.
Duhigg became intrigued by habits and their power.
“That’s what this book is about,” he writes. “Changing habits isn’t necessarily quick or easy. But it is possible. And now we know how.”
EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK
How do you sell a record that people hate?
That was the problem for Steve Bartels, promotion executive at Arista Records. The song was “Hey Ya!” by OutKast. He thought it would be a sure hit. He convinced radio stations to play it, but listeners hated it so much, they turned the dial.
The problem was “Hey Ya!” didn’t sound like other songs. People want to listen to their favorite songs or songs that sound like their favorite songs. But Bartels wasn’t ready to give up.
III.
During World War II, meat was scarce, but organ meat was plentiful. The problem was getting housewives to serve it. They weren’t familiar with it. The solution was to make it seem familiar by “camouflaging it in everyday garb.”
The government sent out mailers telling women their husbands would “cheer for steak and kidney pie” which would contain a little steak and a lot of kidney. Butchers gave out recipes for meatloaf made with liver. Organ consumption rose by 33% during the war.
IV.
Arista decided the secret to making “Hey Ya!” a hit was to make it familiar. To do that, they sandwiched it between “sticky” songs, songs that keep the listener listening. Some songs are sticky because people like them. Some are sticky even though people hate them. Men say they hate Celine Dion, but they don’t switch the station when her songs come on.
It worked. People got used to “Hey Ya!” Then they started to crave it. It sold more than 5.5 million records and won a Grammy.
Karen Watkins
Karen Watkins is an experienced author and researcher, and a member of the Hyperink publishing team.
Related to Quicklet on Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit
Related ebooks
The Power of Habit: by Charles Duhigg | Conversation Starters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg | Conversation Starters Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Summary of The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business | Conversation Starters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStick with It: A Scientifically Proven Process for Changing Your Life—for Good Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Power of Habit - Summarized for Busy People: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business: Based on the Book by Charles Duhigg Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings7lbs in 7 Days Super Juice Diet Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg: Summary by Fireside Reads Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSmoking Is Not Just An Addiction Smoking Is A Habit! The Psychology Of Quitting Gradually Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Power of Habit (Review and Analysis of Duhigg's Book) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Completely Change Your Life in 30 Seconds, Second Edition: Change Your Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of The Power of Habit: by Charles Duhigg | Includes Analysis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg (Trivia-on-Books) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBiorhythm Awareness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDiabetes, I Ain’T Having It!: Diabeaters’ Lifestyle Solutions Made Simple Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnfuck Your Cunnilingus: How to Give and Receive Tongue-Twisting Oral Sex Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSwell-Wimp: Sexual Exercise as a Means of Reducing and Controlling Weight Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Enemy in Your Cupboard Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rebel's Guide To Recovery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCode to Joy: The Four-Step Solution to Unlocking Your Natural State of Happiness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Quit Smoking Using Natural Methods: There's More Choices Than You Think Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Power of Rest: Why Sleep Alone Is Not Enough. A 30-Day Plan to Reset Your Body Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTransformational Stories: Voices for True Healing in Mental Health: Transformational Stories, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSleep to be Sexy, Smart, & Slim: Get the Best Sleep of Your Life Tonight and Every Night Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMind - Body - God Connection: How I Found Healing - A New Way of Looking At Disease Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Personal Growth For You
The Alchemist: A Graphic Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Book of 30-Day Challenges: 60 Habit-Forming Programs to Live an Infinitely Better Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unfuck Your Brain: Using Science to Get Over Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Freak-outs, and Triggers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Source: The Secrets of the Universe, the Science of the Brain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mastery of Self: A Toltec Guide to Personal Freedom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Self-Care for People with ADHD: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Prioritize You! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The ADHD Effect on Marriage: Understand and Rebuild Your Relationship in Six Steps Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Codependence and the Power of Detachment: How to Set Boundaries and Make Your Life Your Own Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Think and Grow Rich (Illustrated Edition): With linked Table of Contents Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Personal Workbook Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Quicklet on Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit
10 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Me parece un poco desenfocada la idea general del tema. algunas comparativas me resultan claras.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Habits can be formed, and so they can be broken... Amazing book