Making Habits, Breaking Habits: Why We Do Things, Why We Don’t, and How to Make Any Change Stick

Finally, a self-help book that doesn't feel like it's trying to sell me snake oil through platitudes. Jeremy Dean provides a deeply researched look at the psychology of routine, specifically highlighting the 'WOOP' exercise: Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, and Plan. I found the 'if-then' implementation intentions to be life-changing for my morning gym routine because they remove the need for constant willpower. The truth is, most books tell you to 'just do it,' but Dean explains why our brains crave the path of least resistance and how to navigate that. It's not a quick fix, but it's the real science of how change actually happens over those crucial 66 days.

As a professional in the mental health field, I found the reference section alone to be worth the price of admission. Jeremy Dean does an excellent job of translating complex psychological studies into practical guidelines that are easy for the layperson to understand. I specifically appreciated the nuance he brings to 'thought suppression' and why it usually backfires when we try to quit bad habits like smoking. This isn't your typical 'feel-good' manual; it’s a grounded, realistic look at the 50% of our lives that we spend on autopilot. It makes you think about your daily routine in a completely different and more intentional way.

What sets this apart from other habit books is the total lack of rose-colored glasses or sugar-coating. Dean doesn't promise you can change your life in three easy steps; instead, he shows you the messy reality of the human mind. I loved the bits about using mindfulness to become more aware of our automated actions throughout the day. It turns out that noticing the behavior is half the battle when you're trying to pivot toward something new. The book is easy to digest and filled with actionable tips, like how to use 'pre-commitment' to keep your future self on track. If you want actual science, this is the one.

Ever wonder why you check Facebook five times before you’ve even finished your first cup of morning coffee? Dean’s section on digital habits and the 'rat pressing a lever' analogy really hit home for my own rodent-like brain. It’s scary how much of our behavior is automated by context and environmental cues we don't even notice. I really liked the focus on 'implementation intentions' because it gives you a concrete script to follow when things get tough. My only gripe is that the book design could have been better to highlight the actual actionable steps. Still, it's a solid 4-star read for anyone wanting to understand their own repetitive mind.

Picked this up because I've been trying to break my late-night snacking habit for several years now. What I learned from Dean is that I’ve been going about it all wrong by relying on sheer, exhausted willpower. He explains that habits are contextual, so changing the situation is often more effective than trying to resist the urge directly. I started using his 'coping planning' technique to identify temptations before they happen, and it's actually working for me. The book is well-written and clear, though it does get a little repetitive in the middle chapters. Overall, it's a very helpful resource for making small, lasting changes.

Jeremy Dean takes a refreshingly unsentimental look at how we form and reshape our behaviors over time. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on happiness habits and the idea of 'hedonic adaptation'—how we get used to good things until they lose their spark. He offers great advice on how to keep those habits fresh by introducing variety into our daily routines. While some parts of the book felt like a retread of information I've seen elsewhere, the focus on 'if-then' links provided a practical framework I could actually use. It’s an insightful read for anyone interested in the intersection of psychology and daily life.

The information here is solid, but I definitely struggled with the delivery and the pacing. To be fair, Dean is a psychologist, so the writing leans more toward the academic and dry side of things throughout. I felt like the first half of the book was just an endless description of habit types that most people already recognize. However, the second half picks up when he discusses pre-commitment strategies and the importance of environmental cues. It’s a decent overview of current research, but I personally found 'The Willpower Instinct' much more engaging and better structured for the average reader to actually finish.

Not gonna lie, I had some very mixed feelings about this one after finishing the last chapter. On one hand, the science is clearly top-notch and well-referenced, but on the other, the organization is a bit of a mess. I would have loved to see more case studies or personal anecdotes to break up the dense data and research. The author is British, which occasionally leads to some phrasing that feels a bit stiff, though that wasn't a dealbreaker for me. It provides a good overview of things like the WOOP method, but the editing could have been much tighter to improve the flow of information.

Too much fluff for my liking, frankly, and I really wanted more substance regarding brain chemistry. While I appreciated the scientific grounding, I found the book incredibly repetitive as Dean spent way too much time defining what habits are rather than telling us how to fix them. The author comes across as a bit condescending, almost shaming people for their lack of discipline without ever sharing his own struggles or proof that he has changed his own life. If you are looking for a practical guide with personal warmth, you might want to look elsewhere. It felt like a collection of academic papers stitched together without a cohesive heart or a clear roadmap for the reader.

Extremely disappointed in this purchase and the lack of actionable advice compared to the hype. It felt like a total repackaging of old research that you could find for free on a dozen psychology blogs without much effort. There is very little original content here, and the author's tone felt dismissive toward the very people who would be buying this for help. Frankly, the book is quite wordy and repetitive, often circling back to the same points without adding new value. I was hoping for deep insights into brain chemistry, but instead, I got a lot of odd sentence structures and vague advice. Save your money and just Google habit research instead.