# What is The Power of Habit about? Canonical: https://zestasy.com/wiki/the-power-of-habit/ Section: Zestasy Wiki > Books & ideas · Updated: 2026-10-14 · Publisher: Zestasy *Zestasy Wiki: our reference answers. Checked for facts and sources; less curated than the magazine.* The Power of Habit (2012) is journalist Charles Duhigg's popular book about how habits work in people, companies and communities. Its central idea is the habit loop: a cue triggers a routine, which delivers a reward, and over time the cue and reward become linked into a craving; to change a habit, Duhigg argues, keep the cue and the reward and swap the routine. It is more storytelling than step-by-step manual, which is the main difference from Atomic Habits. Charles Duhigg was a reporter at The New York Times, where he was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2013 for explanatory reporting. His first book, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, was published by Random House in February 2012, according to [Wikipedia's article on the book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Habit), and spent years on bestseller lists. It is written like long-form journalism: each chapter builds an idea around vivid true stories. ## The habit loop Duhigg's core model has three parts: - **Cue:** a trigger that tells your brain to switch to autopilot. A time of day, a place, a feeling, other people, a preceding action. - **Routine:** the behaviour itself, physical, mental or emotional. - **Reward:** the payoff that tells your brain this loop is worth remembering. Repeat the loop often enough and, in Duhigg's account, the cue and reward become intertwined until a craving appears: you start wanting the reward as soon as you meet the cue. That is why habits feel automatic, and why willpower alone so often loses to them. A simple everyday example: every afternoon at about four (cue), you walk to the café downstairs and buy a pastry (routine), and you come back chatting and refreshed (reward). Is the reward really the pastry, or the break and the company? Duhigg's method is to experiment until you know. ## The golden rule of habit change You can't simply delete a habit, Duhigg argues, but you can change it: keep the old cue, keep the old reward, and insert a new routine. In our example, at four o'clock you might go for a short walk with a colleague instead, and see if the craving is satisfied. He also stresses belief: change sticks better when people believe it is possible, often with the support of a group. ## Keystone habits Some habits matter more than others because they set off chains of other changes. Duhigg calls these keystone habits. His best-known example is the aluminium company Alcoa, where a new chief executive, Paul O'Neill, focused relentlessly on one thing, worker safety, and the habits built around it spread through the whole company. For individuals, the idea is to look for one small change that makes other good things easier. ## The other stories The book ranges widely, from individuals to businesses: one well-known chapter shows how Procter & Gamble built the market for Febreze, an odour-eliminating spray, by understanding cues, rewards and cravings. Some stories are more convincing than others, but they make the book a quick and entertaining read. ## How it differs from Atomic Habits James Clear's Atomic Habits (2018), which we cover in [our guide to what Atomic Habits argues](https://zestasy.com/books/what-atomic-habits-argues/), builds on similar ideas but is organised differently. According to [Wikipedia's summary of Atomic Habits](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_Habits), Clear describes habits in four stages, cue, craving, response and reward, and focuses on small, very easy improvements compounded over time and on the systems around you. In practice: - **Duhigg explains;** Clear instructs. The Power of Habit is mostly narrative and science journalism; Atomic Habits is a practical handbook with rules and checklists. - **Duhigg goes wider,** into businesses and communities. Clear stays with individual daily life. - **If you want to understand habits,** start with Duhigg. If you want a plan for Monday morning, Clear is more direct. For the everyday side, see our pages on [how long a habit really takes](https://zestasy.com/wiki/how-long-to-form-a-habit/) and the difference between [discipline and habit](https://zestasy.com/mindset/discipline-vs-habit/). ## FAQ ### Is The Power of Habit scientifically reliable? It draws on research and interviews, but it is popular journalism, not a textbook. Treat the habit loop as a useful framework rather than settled fact. ### Is it a self-help book? Partly. There is practical advice on changing a habit, but most of the book is storytelling. ### Do you need to read both books? No. Pick the one that fits how you like to learn. Reading one after the other is interesting mostly for seeing how the same ideas are framed. ### Has Duhigg written other books? Yes: Smarter Faster Better (2016), on productivity, and Supercommunicators (2024), on conversation and connection. ## Sources - [Wikipedia: The Power of Habit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Habit) - [Wikipedia: Charles Duhigg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Duhigg) - [Wikipedia: Atomic Habits](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_Habits) ## Related - [What does Atomic Habits actually argue?](https://zestasy.com/books/what-atomic-habits-argues/) - [What is Cal Newport's Deep Work about?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/deep-work/) - [How long does it really take to form a habit?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/how-long-to-form-a-habit/) - [What is the difference between discipline and habit?](https://zestasy.com/mindset/discipline-vs-habit/) - [Should you reward yourself for sticking to a habit?](https://zestasy.com/wiki/rewarding-yourself/) - [All Books & ideas answers in the Wiki](https://zestasy.com/wiki/#books)