Argumentative Essay on The Power of Habit in Business and Life

This argumentative essay analyzes Charles Duhigg's book, 'The Power of Habit,' exploring the profound influence of habits on both business and personal spheres. The essay delves into the core concept of habit formation, examining how habits, often subconscious, shape daily activities and drive success or failure. It highlights the importance of developing good habits and the detrimental effects of bad ones, supported by examples like Lisa Allen's transformation. The essay discusses the habit loop and its elements, emphasizing how habits simplify life, create routines, and conserve energy. It also addresses the counterargument that bad habits can hinder development. The essay concludes by reinforcing the significance of choosing habits strategically for achieving desired outcomes in business and life. The essay emphasizes the importance of habits for success in business and personal life, referencing the work of Charles Duhigg and providing examples to support its arguments. It also acknowledges the counterarguments regarding the negative impacts of bad habits.

Running head: THE POWER OF HABIT
The Power of Habit
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction
When the term “Habit” is referred, it generally refers to several activities that are
generally followed by the human beings and the activities which occurs in the human mind
subconsciously. It is because of the habits that human beings are able to fulfil their daily
activities and perform their roles and their responsibilities in their life. Habits help the human
beings to carry on their daily activities in their life. In the book, The Power of Habits – Why
We Do What We Do in Life and activities in Business, it is found that the author and award
winning New York Times Business reporter Charles Duhigg has spoken about the power of
habits and how it affects the human beings in their daily activities as well as in their
businesses and other professions. The book offers an explanation on the reasons why the
human beings decides to follow such activities the way that these habits helps to keep the
humans going forward in their lives and in their businesses as usual. It is through the book
that the readers get to know about the concept of habits and how these habits play an
important role. That is what has been described in the book by the author. The author has
tries to provide a description of the reasons for the following of habits in the book. This forms
the summary of the book by the author.
The purpose of this essay is to provide an argumentative essay on the topic of
The Power of Habits – Why We Do What We Do in Business and in personal life.
Discussion
Argument
In the book written by author and New York Times award winning reporter Charles
Duhigg, the readers are informed about what the concept of habit is and how this concept of
habit can play an important role in the reader as well as other’s lives if they are in the field of
Business and also in their personal lives as well. The book shows the readers about the

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importance of habits and how it can help them in building important results for both the
individuals and the societies. These habits can range from achieving objectives in business to
their own lives. The book tells the readers about the science of forming habits as well as the
various ways to change those habits and rebuild those habits again. These are mainly what
has been presented by the author in the novel itself.
The point of argument that is to be discussed is how can habits help humans in
performing their activities in both their lives and in their businesses. The author claims that
the habits are the most important element for the success of the human beings. The author is
true about the subject matters that he keeps speaking about in his book. Habits play an
important role in the lifestyle of the human beings. A person’s success or failure in his/her
life depends on the manner in which he/she establishes his habits. Good habits of a person
will not only help the person in his personal life as well as his business activities. As stated
by Duhigg (2012), similarly, if a person’s habits are bad, then it can lead the person to his
downfall in both his personal life as well as in his business. Therefore, the author is true when
he says that a person’s success depends on the habit that he/she makes. The author has given
an example in the form of a woman named Lisa Allen who used to smoke, drink and suffered
from obesity but how she changed her habits after her trip to Cairo. The example given by the
author indeed proves the point that people can achieve anything they want if they develop
their proper habits. From this example, it can be said that a person makes his destiny in the
way in which he shapes their habits. A person who is successful in his life and business has
not reached that stage just like that (Everitt, 2015). It is because of the way in which his
habits had built his routine and regularly followed the routine that has helped him to reach the
position that he has reached today. Similarly, a person who has been a failure in his life and
his business activities is also because of his habits. It is the way in which the person has

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shaped his habits has led to his downfall. However, it can be said undoubtedly that that same
person can change his failures back into success if he changes his habits.
The author has truly explained this concept with the topic of changing of habits in his
book. This is true because a person who is a failure can become a successful person only if
he/she changes his/her habits. That person just needs to find the errors that he/she is making
in her life. Once the person starts making good habits and decisions in his/her life, his is
bound to be successful. Therefore, the author is correct when he says that humans must
always turn their bad habits into good habits in order to be successful.
As stated by Berancer (2015), habits, once well developed by an individual, will
always help him perform his activities in his daily life and in his work life as well. The
author in his book supported this fact through the example of Eugene, who had suffered from
brain damage. Although it was impossible for him to remember much information of
everything by himself, he still could perform certain activities like going out for walks or
eating food from the kitchen. This is exactly because of the habit that was made by Eugene
during the time when he was fit. From this example by the author, it is clear that habit is one
of the most important example that the human beings in their daily activities. It is important
for the human beings to develop a good habit and maintain it so that it can benefit them not
only in their personal lives but also in their business lives as well. It is because of the habits
that individuals perform the various activities in their businesses that would earn them profits
in the market (Allom, 2015). For example: A CEO of a company knows the things that he/she
needs to do in order for her company to earn huge profits in the markets itself. He/she knows
that because he/she has been doing the same activity for many years and as such knows how
to achieve the profits for the company. This has become a habit for that person. Therefore, it
is clear from this statement that habits make human beings perform their activities
subconsciously without any reminder for them to do so. It is because of this reason that habits

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are very important for the humans as these habits helps the humans in performing their daily
activities.
As stated by Duhigg (2012), habits are important because they can make the lives of
the humans much easier. It is because of the habits that humans develop at their young age
that they can perform various daily activities in their life as well as in their businesses and
other areas. The author, in his book has mentioned about the habit loop and its three elements
which help the humans in developing their habits. Thus, there is no doubt about the fact that
habits play an important role in simplifying the lives of the human beings because it reduces
the number of sensory stimuli that are needed to be processed by the human beings. Humans
also save their energy with the help of habits because these are automatic and humans can
even perform these activities without being reminded to do which can save a lot of physical
as well as mental energy for the human beings. Another reason why habits are an important
part of the human existence is that is because it helps the human beings to create a routine
and follow the routines that would lead them to their success in life (Berancer, 2015).
Similarly, if human beings develop the habits which are considered to be bad for them can
lead them to their downfall as mentioned above. So, it is very important for the humans to
make the distinction between the good habits and the bad habits. This is because it is being
said by the experts that the human brain being very powerful, is always looking for ways or
things of the human’s lives which it can turn into a habit for the humans. However, the
subconscious mind among the humans cannot make any distinction between the good and
bad and that is the reason that it picks any kind of patterns which becomes a habit for humans
– both good and bad. The author states in the novel that almost about 40% to 45% of the
activities that the humans perform in their lives, believes them to be their decisions, but it is
actually their habits which makes them engage in such activities. It is also being said by the
author that in businesses, most of the successes or the failures of the companies depends on

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the habits that gets developed in the company itself . What the author means by the statement
is that if a company manages to participate in business activities with the right habit, then it
can earn profits in the market. However, if the company does not engage in business
activities with the right mind set and the right kind of habits, then the company will surely
earn huge amounts of losses in the market itself (Everitt, 2014).
Thus, it is important to be noted that habits form an important part of the human
existence because it is for the habits that the humans are able to perform their daily activities
in their businesses and other professions as well as in their daily lives. However, it is
important for the humans to choose their habits so that they do not become the cause of their
troubles. Thus, according to the author of the book himself, a company that deals in business
must always choose the strategies and the habits that will earn the companies profits in the
markets itself.
Refutation
As stated by Everitt (2014), while it is true that habits are an important part of the
human lives, some people claim that sometimes these habits turn out to be harmful for the
humans in the sense that they can not only stop the development of the humans but also cause
other problems for the humans. These habits are generally referred to the bad habits in the
human beings. These habits are the habits that develop in the humans subconsciously but are
harmful for them. It is important to remember that it can be extremely difficult for the
humans to break a bad habit once it becomes a part of their daily life. This is because the
humans feel that the habit is a part and parcel of their life and if they try to change it, it might
be harmful for themselves and their lives. This can be best explained through the examples of
a person who is a chain smoker or a drinker (Duhigg, 2015). A person who is a chain smoker
considers smoking to be a part of his life. If he stops smoking cigarettes or drinking, it will be
difficult for him. Therefore, some experts state it is important to change certain bad habits in

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the humans themselves otherwise it can reach to such a point that the humans themselves
would not be able to change those habits.
However, these experts themselves state that the bad habits in the humans are not easy
to change. Changing a bad habit in a human being can only be done by the human
himself/herself. For example, they can change their habit of drinking with a habit of regular
exercise. These bad habits can also cause problems for the humans in the field of business
and other profession as well. It is because of the bad habits that a person might make
decisions in the business that might be a loss for their company. Similarly, there are other bad
habits that are also considered to be bad. These include activities like playing video games or
watching television for a very long time.
The author in the book has mentioned some strategies that can help the humans in
overcoming their bad habits. The author believes that the first step to overcome the bad habits
is to identify the cue and the reward of the bad habit as mentioned in the habit loop in the
book by the author himself. By identifying the causes of the habits that are the reasons for the
problems of the person, he/she can overcome the problem (Berancer, 2015). When the same
concept of habits are applied to the point of view of businesses, here also the same principles
occur in terms of the business. In a company, while good habits performed by the employees
of the company will result in the company earning profits in the marketplace, similarly, the
bad habits can earn the company losses in the marketplace itself. It is because of this reason
that the author himself says in the book that businesses might stick to a particular strategy to
earn the profits in the marketplace.
The author himself states in the book that bad habits in a human being do not occur
automatically, it takes place due to certain trigger that takes place in the mind of the humans.
As stated by De Vet (2015), this is agreed upon by many experts themselves who also state

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that bad habits have serious effects on the lives and the health of the human beings. They are
of the opinion that these bad habits can be overcome in many ways. The first thing that the
humans need to overcome the bad habits is willpower and their determination. They also state
that willpower and determine can help the human to overcome such problems.
Therefore, it can be said that while habits are important for the humans, it is important
for them to choose that the type of habits that they would like to choose for themselves.
While good habits would lead them to success in their lives, the bad habits can cause them
harm and would ultimately be harmful for the human beings. That is why it is very important
for a human being to decide for himself whether the type of habit that he/she would like to
choose for himself. Replacing bad habits with those of the good habits will not only be
helpful to the human beings, it will also help them to achieve their objectives in their lives as
well as help the business organizations to earn their profits in the marketplace itself. That is
why, it is very important for the humans to keep their habits in check so that the good habits
the human have in himself/herself does not get changed into a bad habit itself as that would
be problematic for him/her (Duhigg, 2012).
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that the author Charles Duhigg, in his
book, has correctly stated that habits play an important role in the lives of the human beings
in their personal lives as well as in their business areas. Habits are helpful to the people
because the habits make the life easier for the humans themselves as these activities are
automatic and can be performed by the human beings in their subconscious mind. In the field
of business itself, the author goes onto state that a particular type of business strategy as well
as a type of habit can help the company to perform good business in the marketplace itself
which will help it to earn the profits in the marketplace (Duhigg, 2012). It is correctly stated

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by the author that the human beings have to choose the habits carefully as there are certain
habits which might prove to be harmful for themselves. That is why it is important to think
about the type of habits that the humans would want to include as part of their daily activity.
Bad habits are harmful for the humans as they would prevent the humans from achieving
their achievements. This is what the book written by the author Charles Duhigg talks about.
The author in his book, basically sums up the necessity of the habits in the lives of the
humans while basically urging them to think before choosing the good habits and the bad
habits. Apart from the personal lives of humans, the author also talks about the necessity of
the habits in the field of the businesses as well. Basically, in the book itself, the author talks
about the necessity of the habits in the lives of the humans while also urging them to refrain
from choosing the bad habits that might harm them.

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Reference List
Allom, V., Mullan, B., Cowie, E., & Hamilton, K. (2016). Physical activity and transitioning
to college: The importance of intentions and habits. American journal of health
behavior, 40(2), 280-290.
Bernacer, J., Lombo, J. A., & Murillo, J. I. (2015). Habits: plasticity, learning and freedom.
Frontiers in human neuroscience, 9, 468.
De Vet, E., Stok, F. M., De Wit, J. B., & De Ridder, D. T. (2015). The habitual nature of
unhealthy snacking: How powerful are habits in adolescence?. Appetite, 95, 182-187.
Duhigg, C. (2012). The power of habit: Why we do what we do in life and business. Random
House.
Everitt, B. J. (2014). Neural and psychological mechanisms underlying compulsive drug
seeking habits and drug memories–indications for novel treatments of addiction.
European Journal of Neuroscience, 40(1), 2163-2182.
Neal, D. T., Wood, W., & Drolet, A. (2013). How do people adhere to goals when willpower
is low? The profits (and pitfalls) of strong habits. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 104(6), 959.

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Rupp-Serrano, K., & Robbins, S. (2013). Information-seeking habits of education faculty.
College & Research Libraries, 74(2), 131-142.