The Topline Summary in a Sentence is: �Change might not be fast and it isn't always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped."
Habits are not as simple as they appear. Even though scientists have discovered how habits work, there is no recipe for rapid change; no one formula for changing habits. Rather, habits, like individuals, are all different. The author describes a habit as "a choice that we deliberately make at some point, and then stop thinking about, but continue doing, often every day." One study found that more than 40% of the actions people performed each day weren't actual decisions, but habits.
This summary takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. Giving up cigarettes is different from curbing overeating, which is different from changing how you communicate with your spouse, which is different from how you prioritize tasks at work. But every habit, not matter its complexity, is malleable. To modify a habit, however you must decide to change it. This summary encapsulates the framework the author has put together for understanding how habits work and a guide to experimenting with how they might change.