Then one day, we’ll put the reward in the old place, and put in the rat, and, by golloy, the old habit will rememerge right away. habits never really disappear. They’re encoded into the sturctures of our brain, and that’s a huge advantage for us, because it would be awful if we had to relearn how to drive after every vacation. The problem is that your brain can’t tell the difference between bad and good habits, and so if you have a bad one, it’s always lurking there, waiting for the right cues and rewards.
Charles DuhiggIf you want to do something that requires willpower - like going for a run after work - you have to conserve your willpower muscle during the day.
Charles DuhiggI think I'm smart, and I know I was a good mom. But there wasn't a lot I could point to and say, that's why I'm special.
Charles DuhiggThe waste from power plants is essentially what is left over when you burn coal. And as we all know, coal is a relatively dirty mineral.
Charles DuhiggThe Golden Rule of Habit Change: You can't extinguish a bad habit, you can only change it.
Charles Duhigg