Do you want to break a negative habit and learn how to build positive habits quickly? If you’ve tried this before, you know how hard it can be to stay committed. Professor Wendy Wood believes that this difficulty often comes from relying only on willpower. However, after conducting experiments and reviewing existing research, she found a simple way to break a bad habit and build productive ones: using the power of the unconscious mind. She discusses this in her book, “Good Habits, Bad Habits.”
In this summary and review of her book, we will share the key ideas and insights, evaluate whether it is worth reading, and suggest additional resources to help you understand the processes of habit formation. This article will cover:
- Good Habits Bad Habits Summary
- Good Habits, Bad Habits Review
- Who Should Read Good Habits, Bad Habits
- Other Recommended Sources
- About Wendy Wood
- Habits Quotes from the book
Let’s dive straight into it!
Good Habits, Bad Habits Summary – 7 Big Ideas
We’ve broken down the key insights from the book into 7 Big Ideas of habit formulation.
1. How Habits Control Our Lives
Before understanding the science of habits, it’s important to know exactly what they are. Habits are actions that are performed automatically – in other words, they aren’t conscious choices. For example, pulling out your credit card at the cash register.
How We think Habits Work vs. How habits Actually Work
We often notice bad habits in our lives more than good ones. For instance, you may be aware of your overspending, but you might not recognize your habit of giving to others. We also tend to think that most of our good habits, like reading to our children every night, come from a place of love.
Eventually, we overestimate how much our actions and everyday activities are motivated by internal factors. Thinking our habits come only from our conscious mind can have a significant downside–because if we don’t realize that some of our strong habits and actions come from our unconscious mind, we can’t change them effectively. And, during stressful times, we are the most likely to fall back on those habits as safe harbors.
2. The Three Bases of Habit Formation
The first key to building habits is Context. Context basically means the external forces (your location, the time of day) that either prevent or drive our actions. For example, if you’re in a no-smoking zone, that’s considered a restraining force to prevent you from smoking.
Wood suggests the easiest “context” we can use to our advantage is proximity. Research tells us that we engage with what is close to us while ignoring what is further away. So if you want to build a habit make sure it is close to you. i.e. If you want to exercise more, consider moving close to a gym.
The second key to building a habit is Repetition. You may have heard that it takes 21 days to form a habit. But after conducting a 3 months study, Wood found that is not true. Instead, it took at least 65 days for the participants of her study to feel like the new behaviors they had adopted started to feel automatic to them.
The third key to building a habit is Reward. In the early stages of developing a habit, it’s crucial to reward ourselves. This can be intrinsic, like the feeling of satisfaction, or external, such as taking time to relax after a gym session. Rewards trigger the release of dopamine, which makes us feel good. When we get rewards right after doing something, we start to build connections that help make the habit stronger over time.
Combine these 3 keys to build beneficial habits in any area of your life–by repeating rewarding actions in stable contexts. If you’re not sure where to start check out our 100 Habit Ideas to for more tips and ideas for habit formulation in key aspects of your life.
3. Willpower and Knowledge aren’t Enough to Change a Habit
Many people assume that knowing the benefits of a habit is enough to implement it. But Wood explains that knowledge alone rarely leads to long-term behavior change. Even if we understand that exercise or healthy eating is beneficial, we often struggle to turn these actions into habits because understanding does not automatically translate into repeated action.
Why relying on willpower often fails
We often admire individuals who demonstrate high levels of self-control. They wake up at 5 a.m., exercise, eat healthily, and manage all aspects of their day efficiently. We tend to think that their success stems from extraordinary willpower. However, Wood explains that they actually rely on habits to reach their goals. They place themselves in contexts that help them build good habits. For example, they may have friends who support them, or they choose places without distractions to work.
4. The Role of Social Influence in Habit Formation
When you begin developing your habits, you’ll quickly notice the impact that people can have on your journey. They can either assist or hinder your progress toward achieving your goals. While it’s important to be aware of this, taking action is another matter. To do so, you need to identify individuals who exhibit high self-control. Surrounding yourself with such people can provide the support you need to reach your goals.
5. Forming and Breaking Habits
Breaking bad habits can be harder than forming new ones. Bad habits often come from strong triggers and immediate rewards. To break them, Woods suggests changing your environment by removing triggers that lead to the behavior. For example, if you want to stop snacking late at night, keeping junk food out of your house can work better than just using willpower.
You can also find it easier to replace bad habits with good ones instead of just trying to eliminate them. If you usually check your phone before bed, try reading a book instead. This can help you reduce screen time while still keeping a routine before sleeping.
6. How Good Habits Improve Well-being
Building healthy habits can positively impact our well-being. For example, having routines reduces uncertainty, which helps us make sense of our experiences. Furthermore, research from Wood shows that acting habitually can give our lives more meaning. Simple actions, like following a daily schedule or having a weekly brunch with family, can help us discover this meaning.
7. Changing Your Habits for Good + Actionable Ideas
To create lasting changes in habits, focus on making small improvements instead of trying to change everything at once. Wood points out that simple changes, like keeping healthy snacks nearby, can work better than big shifts.
Another helpful technique to change or build habits is called stacking. Stacking means pairing a new behavior with an existing habit, using the same cues that trigger the established behavior. In a study aimed at encouraging participants to floss their teeth more regularly, it was found that those who flossed after brushing their teeth were more successful in developing the habit than those who flossed before brushing. This success can be attributed to the fact that flossing after brushing built upon an existing routine.
For further insights on habit stacking, including how to identify effective cues for stacking new habits, check out our comprehensive guide on “How to Make Habits Stick.” This guide also includes a video explanation of additional strategies for making habits stick.
Good Habits, Bad Habits Review
Wendy Wood undoubtedly conducted extensive research before compiling her practical book, and she presents the insights from her research in an easy-to-understand manner. Furthermore, rather than simply stating that habits are easy to form, she emphasizes the nuances of habit formation, including the fact that habits cannot be established solely through willpower.
The beginning of habit formation can be quite challenging, and our actions must become routine in order to develop successful habits. While many believe that she has thoroughly covered the topic, some critics feel that she could have addressed habit formation in the context of various medical conditions, such as ADHD. Nevertheless, Wendy Wood does a great job at bringing advanced social science into contact with real-world issues we face. Furthermore, the book offers value as an informative read that is sure to help you achieve results in your daily life. You can purchase the book here.
Who Should Read Good Habits, Bad Habits
- Anyone looking to build better habits and change negative habits into positive, helpful versions.
- Anyone frustrated with failed resolutions and self-discipline struggles.
- People interested in the psychology of long-term behavioral change.
- People interested in a neurological perspective to habit formation.
Other Recommended Sources
Tired of saying hundreds of times over that you’ll change a habit—without making progress? Here are more book about building habits from our ReadinGraphics Library—they cover key ideas from the laws of habit, to the neurology of habit formation, overcoming the biggest obstacles to forming desired habits, breaking bad habits, and building helpful, efficient habits.
Atomic Habits by James Clear explains how small changes can lead to big results over time. It focuses on three key ideas: understanding your identity, designing your environment, and stacking habits.
Mini Habits by Stephen Guise suggests starting with very small actions. This helps you overcome resistance and stick to your productive habits without much effort.
Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg offers a proven system for forming productive habits. It shows that by linking new behaviors to things you already do and celebrating small wins, you can make changes feel easy and automatic.
About Wendy Wood
Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick is written by Wendy Wood. She’s a leading social psychologist and expert in habit formation. She is a Provost Professor of Psychology and Business at the University of Southern California, and a preeminent habits researcher – having spent decades researching how habits influence behavior. Known as the world’s leading expert on habits, her work bridges psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics to reveal the fascinating science of habit formation and change. In addition to her contributions to the psychology of habit, she is a sought-after speaker and writer.
Habits Quotes from the Book
“What I began to realize was that habit refers to how you perform an action, not what the action is.”
“Self-control is simple when you understand that it involves putting yourself in the right situations to develop the right habits.”
“High “self-controllers” achieved desired outcomes by streamlining, not struggling.”
““A habit happens when a context cue is sufficiently associated with a rewarded response to become automatic.”
“If we are in the right situation, we can achieve similar results to those who are more disciplined.”
