Making Habits, Breaking Habits

Why We Do Things, Why We Don't, and How to Make Any Change Stick

By: Jeremy Dean

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

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 leading psychologist’s popular examination of one of the most powerful and underappreciated processes in the brain. Although people like to think that they are in control, the vast majority 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 brain’s natural "autopilot" to make any change stick.

Witty and intriguing, Making Habits, Breaking Habits shows how behavior occurs more than just a product of what you think. It is possible to bend your habits to your will - and be happier, more creative, and more productive.

©2013 Jeremy Dean (P)2013 Gildan Media LLC

Critic reviews

"Making changes does take longer than we may expect - no 30-day, 30-pounds-lighter quick fix - but by following the guidelines laid out by Dean, listeners have a decent chance at establishing fulfilling, new patterns." ( Kirkus Reviews)

"An accessible and informative guide for listeners to take control of their lives." ( Publishers Weekly)

The best

The best habit book I have read. No nonsense or unrealistic promises, Dean tells you what you need to do to develop good habits and the challenges you will face.

Engaging and Informative

Life hacks and mindfulness. I enjoyed the reading of this book, and am applying the information I gleaned on my first listen.

pragmatic, useful & research-based

If you could sum up Making Habits, Breaking Habits in three words, what would they be?

pragmaticevidence-baseduseful

What was one of the most memorable moments of Making Habits, Breaking Habits?

The debunking of the myth that "it only takes 21 days to change a habit." Depending on the habit, and according to scientific findings, it can take much longer to change habits & it was refreshing to hear this content from a popular press book. This is a resource that I now recommend to both clients & colleagues to support them in learning healthy habits & teaching others how to do so

Any additional comments?

Not sure if rating performance makes sense but the narrators voice was effective and not annoying - sometimes voices are a distraction & performance of this narrator supported learning, thus I rated performance. Same with "story": effective anecdotes & presentation of info

Worth it

Any additional comments?

This really is a great book. Made me confront and examine a lot of stuff in my life that was uncomfortable but necessary. Definitely worth the time to listen to it.

Habits are fascinating!

This book could also have been titled: Finding Happiness through Choosing your Habits Well.

Our Pursuits of Happiness is an elusive chase.
Our mind is so vast and complex, Dean takes us on a walk through our mind, pointing out things so obvious - we missed them.
While the studies are explained well, I think this book could have been more compact to be easier digested by people not as intrigued by studies, but the general outcome and discoveries.
Ps, this is one of the books I’ve chosen to re-read this year due to its great content, and my Love for the intriguing aspects of the importance of Habits in our Lives.