# The Power of Habit

**Charles Duhigg** · 2012

_Topics: Habits, Psychology, Behavior change_

**Who it's for:** Readers who want to understand the science behind why habits form before changing them.

Duhigg explains habits through the “habit loop”: a cue triggers a routine, which delivers a reward, and craving locks the pattern in. Understanding the loop is what lets you change it — keep the cue and reward, swap the routine.

He extends the idea from individuals to organizations and societies, and highlights “keystone habits” — single changes, like exercise or making the bed, that ripple outward and pull other good habits along with them.

## Key takeaways

- Every habit runs on a loop: cue, routine, reward.
- To change a habit, keep the cue and reward but change the routine.
- Keystone habits trigger a cascade of other improvements.
- Belief and community make new habits stick.

## Related reading

- https://structureyour.life/books/atomic-habits.md
- https://structureyour.life/books/indistractable.md
- https://structureyour.life/books/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people.md

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