Habit book notes · Judson Brewer · 2017

The Craving Mind — the big ideas

A psychiatrist’s account of how reward-based learning drives cravings, and how curious awareness can loosen unwanted habits.

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A psychiatrist and researcher describes how reward-based learning drives cravings and habits, and how curious, mindful awareness can loosen their grip.

The big ideas

Reward-based learning

Habits are reinforced by the relief or pleasure they bring.

Curiosity as a tool

Paying curious attention to what a habit actually feels like can reduce its appeal.

Urges pass

Observing a craving shows it rises and falls without being obeyed.

Key concepts

• Reward-based learning
• Mindful awareness
• Curiosity
• Cravings

Limits

• Much of the supporting research comes from the author’s own group and specific apps.
• Mindfulness-based approaches help some people more than others.

What the research says

• Witkiewitz & Marlatt (2004) — Updated relapse-prevention thinking: a single lapse is not a relapse, and what people make of a lapse — “I’ve ruined everything” versus “this was one moment I can learn from” — shapes what happens next. Limits: Built for addiction treatment; everyday habits borrow the idea, not the clinical programme.
• Quinn, Pascoe, Wood & Neal (2010) — In diary studies, strong unwanted habits were controlled best by vigilant monitoring — thinking “don’t do it” and watching carefully for slip-ups — while other strategies helped with temptations but not with strong habits. Limits: Self-reported everyday episodes plus one experiment; vigilance takes effort and suits specific moments.

Apply this idea

Next time you do an unwanted habit, pay close, curious attention to how it actually feels during and after.

Described in our own words with the source named — not a summary of the whole book.