Synopses & Reviews
Say you want to start going to the gym or practicing a musical instrument. How long should it take before you stop having to force it and start doing it automatically?
The surprising answers are found in Making Habits, Breaking Habits, a psychologistand#8217;s popular examination of one of the most powerful and under-appreciated processes in the mind. Although people like to think that they are in control, much of human behavior occurs without any decision-making or conscious thought.
Drawing on hundreds of fascinating studies, psychologist Jeremy Dean busts the myths to finally explain why seemingly easy habits, like eating an apple a day, can be surprisingly difficult to form, and how to take charge of your brainand#8217;s natural and#147;autopilotand#8221; to make any change stick.
Witty and intriguing, Making Habits, Breaking Habits shows how behavior is more than just a product of what you think. It is possible to bend your habits to your willand#151;and be happier, more creative, and more productive.
Review
The Bookseller, “Editor’s Pick,” 10/12/12“Sensible and very readable…By far the most useful of this month’s New You offerings.”
Review
The Bookseller, andldquo;Editorandrsquo;s Pick,andrdquo; 10/12/12andldquo;Sensible and very readableandhellip;By far the most useful of this monthandrsquo;s New You offerings.andrdquo;
Kirkus Reviews, 1/1/13andldquo;Making changes does take longer than we may expectandmdash;no 30-day, 30-pounds-lighter quick fixandmdash;but by following the guidelines laid out by Dean, readers have a decent chance at establishing fulfilling, new patterns.andrdquo;
Publishers Weekly, 12/10/12andldquo;An accessible and informative guide for readers to take control of their lives.andrdquo;
andldquo;Bookworm Sezandrdquo; syndicated reviewandldquo;By helping us understand what makes us tick and why, author Jeremy Dean avoids platitudes and misty advice to give his readers the tools they need to stop being frustrated by change and lack thereof. He advocates patience and dispels a lot of myths about why we do the things we do (or donandrsquo;t), explaining why our willpower fails us or why we find some habits easy to make. Thatandrsquo;s helpful, and could make a fix that sticksandhellip;This bookandhellip;would be advantageous to anyone whoandrsquo;s serious about changing behavior.andrdquo;
Curled Up with a Good Book, 1/6/13andldquo;Loaded with surprising information about the brain and human behavior, this book that lays out a strategy for taking charge of ourselves. We probably canandrsquo;t beat all our habits forever, but Making Habits, Breaking Habits offers a battle plan that allows us to know the enemy and sometimes evade it.andrdquo;
Philadelphia Tribune, 1/6/13andldquo;Dean busts the myths to finally explain why seemingly easy habits, like eating an apple a day, can be surprisingly difficult to form, and how to take charge of your brainandrsquo;s natural andlsquo;autopilotandrsquo; to make any change stickandhellip;Witty and intriguing, Making Habits, Breaking Habits shows how behavior is more than just a product of what you think.andrdquo;
Spirituality and Practice, 1/15/13andldquo;[A] fascinating bookandhellip;Dean demonstrates a knack for cutting through generalities and cutting to the heart of the matter. Making Habits, Breaking Habits will shed new light on your own private and public behavior and the many quests for change that you undertake in your everyday life.andrdquo;
VIVmag.com, 1/17/13andldquo;What really stands out in Deanandrsquo;s bookandhellip;is the insight behind habits and their unconscious nature and often, their benefitsandhellip;Full of anecdotes and interesting studies, Making Habits, Breaking Habits is an engaging read.andrdquo;
InfoDad.com, 1/17/13andldquo;Dean argues convincingly that habits are essentially automatic pilotsandhellip;The prescriptive part of self-help books is where many of them fall down. Deanandrsquo;s is better than mostandhellip;The book reads like one in which Dean primarily shares his own fascination with a variety of research projects of various kinds, pausing occasionally to relate this study or that back to the whole issue of forming and changing habits. And there is nothing wrong with being a bit discursive, especially when the underlying material is as interesting as much of it is here.andrdquo;
DaySpa, January 2013and#160;andldquo;Analyzes the phenomenon of habits, and breaks them down so they can be fully understoodandmdash;and ultimately managed.andrdquo;
Truth, January 2013and#160;andldquo;Dean helps you understand the psychology behind your habitsandmdash;both good and badandmdash;and gives you the information you need to kick a bad habit and finally keep your New Yearandrsquo;s resolution.andrdquo;
Bookviews.com, February 2013and#160;andrdquo;This is serious psychology and an often fascinating look at the way habits are formed, reinforced, and strengthened throughout our livesandhellip;Smoking, drinking, and comparable bad behaviors can be changed and this book can help anyone seeking to make that change.andrdquo;
ForeWord, Spring 2013andldquo;Dean teases out the factors contributing to our habit-forming tendencies with a careful analysis of the studies that have examined the impact of intentions, actions, and will-powerandhellip;The author leads us through it all in a friendly style that makes the minutiae of science accessible.andrdquo;
Toronto Star, 2/3/13andldquo;[Dean] looks at what we know about habit and offers tips on how we can all change destructive behaviour while adopting routines that will serve us better.andrdquo;
January Magazine, 2/1/13andldquo;Though Dean is currently working towards a doctorate in psychology, his voice is casual, friendly and smart. More importantly for a book of this nature, he knows how to break his material down and present it in a way that is not only logical, it also stays interesting and connectedandhellip;An entertaining and deeply interesting book. And a huge bonus for some readers: it actually has the potential to totally change your life.andrdquo;
WomanAroundTown.com, 1/29/13andldquo;Dean examines the formation and perpetuation of our habits, and offers tips on how we can avoid pitfalls to create new practices which are more beneficial to us, and which can last a lifetime.andrdquo;
SirReadaLot.org, February 2013andldquo;A psychologistandrsquo;s popular examination of one of the most powerful and under-appreciated processes in the mindandhellip;Witty and intriguing, provocative and practicalandhellip;The book provides unexpected and fascinating answers to the common problem of changing oneandrsquo;s habits.andrdquo;
PsychCentral.com, 2/24andldquo;Mixing roughly three parts information with one part practical technique for yoking habits to the service of self-improvement,and#160;Jeremy Deanandrsquo;sand#160;Making Habits, Breaking Habits tours the last hundred years of psychological research on habit and synthesizes an impressive amount of insight into human habit formation and, for that matter, de-formationandhellip;He effects a direct, bloggerly style, mercifully unclouded by the stultified prose plaguing many psychology authors whose backgrounds are different from Deanandrsquo;s (i.e., career academics). Nevertheless, the book is carefullyandmdash;even denselyandmdash;footnoted with a trove of research studies.andrdquo;
Blogcritics.org, 2/20andldquo;Quite interesting to read and it makes you realize that youandrsquo;re not aloneandhellip;After reading this book, it just affirms that if you really want to make a change, you can make it happen.andrdquo;
Midwest Book Review, March 2013andldquo;Provides a lively discussion for general-interest readers seeking to understand how habits are formed, promoted, or changed. A witty and informative approach makes this a survey all readers can readily digestandhellip;Any general collection strong in popular psychology will find this an appealing pick.andrdquo;
Synopsis
The psychologist behind PsyBlog explores the science of habitand#151;and how you can change yours for the better
Synopsis
At least one third of our waking hours are lived on autopilot. But habits of the mind do not have to control usandmdash;we can steer them. Drawing on the latest research, psychologist Jeremy Dean explains why seemingly easy habits can prove difficult to form and how to take charge of your brainand#8217;s routines to make any change stick. Making Habits, Breaking Habits explains that it is possible to bend habits to your willandmdash;and become happier, more creative, and more productive.
About the Author
Psychologist
Jeremy Dean is the founder and author of the popular website "PsyBlog" (http://www.psyblog.co.uk), which is viewed by upwards of 1 million readers monthly. The site analysesand#151;with wit, clarity, and eruditionand#151;psychological studies that are relevant to everyday life. Dean launched PsyBlog in 2004, when he noticed a dearth of smart, readable news for those who like psychological insights backed up by science. Read the world over, the site has been featured in
BBC News,
The New York Times,
The Los Angeles Times, NPR,
The Guardian, and
The London Times.
Table of Contents
PART ONEAnatomy of a Habit
1. Birth of a Habit
2. Habit Versus Intention: An Unfair Fight
3. Your Secret Autopilot
4. Donand#8217;t Think, Just Do It!
PART TWO
EVERYDAY HABITS
5. The Daily Grind
6. Stuck in a Depressing Loop
7. When Bad Habits Kill
8. Online All the Time
PART THREE
HABITS CHANGE
9. Making Habits
10. Breaking Habits
11. Healthy Habits
12. Creative Habits
13. Happy Habits