Duhigg, an investigative reporter for the New York Times, turns his research skills on the question of "why do we do the things we do?" Scientists have discovered that a lot of routine brain function is handled by habit loops where the brain essentially goes on autopilot through a series of actions based on a given cue. This is why you can drive home successfully but not remember the last few miles of the drive when you are tired. Duhigg argues that when you recognize your behaviors that are truly habits, then you can set about changing them by altering your reaction to the cues and leading your actions to a different reward.
The self-help part of the book is minimal. The majority focuses on fascinating case studies from how people with brain injuries adapt to the world and create new habits to how habit research has influenced product marketing. Duhigg also raises intriguing ethical questions in where we as a society draw the line in saying a person has a choice about their actions and can be held accountable for the results.
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