There are basically two things worth remembering here. First, much of what we do is done on autopilot (estimated 40%). This is illustrated by the brain virus victim who could not learn new conscious things but could still develop new habits including knowing where to get food, how to solve a memory game, and find his way back to his house. Second, habits are made of cue’s routines and rewards. If you want to change a habit, focus on changing the routine, but keep the other two the same.
This book can be entirely summed up in a paragraph. Sure, You’re missing a lot of the emotional appeal of the stories, but for the most part, they aren’t that interesting or illustrative. (If you want a slightly more extensive summary, this one is decent) The book definitely falls into the popular genre, not the scientific. While Duhigg draws on science regularly the language is elementary (referring to “brain scanners” instead of FMRI). That being said, the two points outlined above seem quite compelling. It’s at least worth reading the summary!