Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick Hardcover – October 1, 2019

From the opening pages of "Good Habits, Bad Habits," I appreciated Wendy Wood's exploration of what she calls our "second self" - the subconscious mind that controls much of our behavior without us even realizing it. As someone deeply interested in personal development, this book offered valuable insights into why real change is so hard despite our best intentions.Wood, a professor at USC, is one of the foremost researchers in habit formation. Her central premise is powerful yet simple: what we often mistake for extraordinary willpower in successful people is actually the result of well-established habits.The book's biggest strength lies in its scientific approach to understanding how approximately 43% of our daily behaviors (and up to 88% of our hygiene routines) operate on autopilot. Wood breaks down the three pillars of habit formation - context, repetition, and reward - providing a framework that explains why New Year's resolutions often fail and why environmental factors beat willpower almost every time.I found her exploration of "friction" especially useful. By explaining how small environmental changes can dramatically impact behavior (like how reducing the distance to a gym increases attendance), Wood offers practical strategies anyone can apply. Her discussions on habit stacking, replacement habits, and the concept of habit discontinuity (how major life changes create opportunities for new habits) provide actionable insights rarely found in typical self-help books.The chapter on stress and habits explains why we fall back on established patterns during difficult times - whether healthy or unhealthy. Understanding this alone is worth the price of the book, especially for those struggling with stress-triggered behaviors.What sets this one apart from other habit books is that Wood isn't just reporting on research - she's one of the pioneering scientists who conducted many of the foundational studies she references. This gives strong credibility to her conclusions and recommendations. You're hearing directly from a primary source in the field, not a secondary interpreter.While Wood writes for a general audience, if there's any critique to offer, it's that the book occasionally reads somewhat academically. However, you could also consider this one of the book's strengths. Unlike many pop psychology books that oversimplify complex topics, Wood respects our intelligence enough to share the nuanced reality of how habits truly function in our brains and she doesn't promise any magical 21-day transformations.Some people might feel like it’s a downer hearing how much of their bad behavior is on autopilot. But overall, Good Habits, Bad Habits gives a message of hope. When you understand how habit formation works, then we understand how we cam make it work in our favor. You learn that making changes isn't about iron willpower but about creating a environment that supports our goals and repeating behaviors until they become automatic.If you don’t mind books that are a little on the sciencey side, citing lots of research, then you will enjoy this book.

Good habits, Bad habits offers a comprehensive look at how habits are formed and how we can change them. Wood provides a fascinating survey of past and current research in a user-friendly style. Her book is very readable and packed with personal anecdotes, quotes and quirky tidbits about human behavior. It's a huge advantage to have the benefit of Wood's expertise and experience in her field. This insightful book raised my awareness of my own personal habits, and gave me an understanding that change is absolutely possible.

Wendy’s book is very informative. She’s clearly an expert as she has spent her life studying habits. This book seems to be a good summary of where the field is currently. The obvious comparison to this book is naturally going to be “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. Though they are about the same topic (habits) they are NOT in the same genre. Atomic Habits is a self-help book. Good Habits, Bad Habits is a psychology book.If you are nerdy like me and have a psych background, then this the book for you. Most of the literature is what James Clear read to write his book. If you just want to change your behaviors, Clear’s book is the one you want. His writing is fantastic.Wendy’s writing style is kind of standard of what you would expect from a book that is coming from a researcher. Not that is it a bad thing, it just won’t be a best seller. Most of the chapters are rich with detail. My favorite story is how America went from a smoking country to a nonsmoking country.As someone who started writing about habits on the blog “yournexthabit.com”, it gives me more to chew on in implementing the research into my own habits.TLDR; Read Atomic Habits first then read this one if you want even more.

If you're looking to break bad habits and make lasting changes, this book is an excellent resource. It offers fresh insights supported by recent scientific findings. While some parts can be a bit challenging to follow and may require a second read, the book provides practical and effective solutions. It's definitely worth the effort!

Good information. By the type size is so small, it is hard to read. I don’t remember a book with this small of letter size.

If you’re looking for a book offering quick fixes for dealing with the complex issues surrounding our daily habits and how to change them, don’t read this book. But if you’re interested in reading about thoughtful methods which are based on a ton of well- structured academic based research, providing the reader with a useful path for managing our habits, then you should read this excellent book. While Professor Wendy Wood has written a book that will most likely be used in college class rooms around the world, she has also outlined for the lay person, a wonderful set of practical and useful choices to improve our daily lives. We’re fast approaching the holiday season along with the setting of new year resolutions, so I can’t think of a better gift for everyone on your list than a copy of “Good Habits, Bad Habits.”