Some habits don't just change one behavior, they change everything. People who exercise in the morning tend to eat better, spend less, and procrastinate less, without even trying to.

A super communicator isn't the funniest or most charismatic person in the room. They're just the one who makes everyone feel heard.

One skill — making people feel truly heard — is worth more than all the charm and wit in the world.

#CharlesDuhigg #Supercommunicator #CommunicationSkills

The hardest conversations don't get easier by avoiding the awkwardness. They get easier when you name it upfront. Simply saying "this might feel uncomfortable, but I think it matters" changes everything about how the conversation goes.

The simplest way to make someone feel heard is also the most underused. Ask them why, reflect back what you heard, and then ask if you got it right. Most people never make it to that third step.

Interior decorating tips (from science!) for people who know nothing about interior decorating. A new newsletter from The Science of Better!

Most of us think we laugh because something is funny. But 80% of the time, laughter has nothing to do with humor. It's how we tell someone we want to connect with them.

Nearly half of what we do every day isn't really a choice. It's a habit running in the background. The good news is that once you can spot the cue and the reward driving a behavior, you can change it.

When a conversation gets hard, resist the urge to make your point more clearly. Ask a question, reflect back what you heard, then ask if you got it right. That last step is the one most people skip.

The best communicator in any room usually isn't the one talking the most. They're the one everyone walks away from feeling like they were actually listened to.

Harvard's longest running happiness study found one thing predicted how long, healthily and happily people lived: If you had a handful of close relationships at age 45, then 65, you were more likely to live longer, be happier, and have more success.

The Science of Charisma: A new newsletter from The Science of Better about how to get that rizz!
https://bit.ly/4bCX1IY

How should we have the hardest conversations? By acknowledging, up front, that this is awkward and hard.

Your morning routine shapes the rest of your day more than most people realize. The research points to three things that actually matter: something to anticipate, a moment of relaxation, and some form of connection.

Before jumping in to help, try asking one simple question: do you want to be helped, hugged, or heard? People know the answer immediately, and it changes everything about how you show up for them.

Susan Kamil Prize for Emerging Writers - Binc Foundation The Susan Kamil Emerging Writers Prize was established in 2024 by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and bestselling author Charles Duhigg and his wife, Dr. Liz

A few years ago, my wife I endowed a scholarship for book sellers hoping to write their first book. Applications for the 2026 awards - totaling $50,000 - are now open! You can apply at https://bit.ly/3NNOr0G

Super communicators ask 10 to 20 times more questions than the average person, and most of them are simple. The real skill is asking questions that invite people to talk about what they actually care about, and then genuinely listening to the answer.

Exercise is a keystone habit.

Every conversation is actually three conversations at once. When two people are in different ones, they can't really hear each other. Ask how someone feels about something, not just the facts, and you'll find out which one you're in.

Science wants you to be rich Lemme guess: Talking about money stresses you out, right? Don’t worry — research has got you covered. Scientists love studying the Benjamins.

Science wants you to be rich! A new newsletter from The Science of Better. (The big lesson: If you want more money, pay more attention to money.)
https://bit.ly/4bnwvln

Science just explained what's actually happening in your body during a great conversation. Real connection isn't a metaphor. When two people are truly in sync, their bodies and brains are literally starting to function alike, and that's exactly what great communication is designed to do.

40% to 45% of what we do EVERY DAY is a habit. But now we know how to nudge those habits in the directions we want, rather than working against us.

How To! with Mike Pesca Listen to How To! with Mike Pesca

Exciting news: How To!, the Ambie Award-nominated “Best Personal Growth Podcast,” is back with a new host, the award-winning journalist Mike Pesca! How To tackles listeners' question with help from experts. Think of it as eavesdropping on someone else's therapy session. link.mgln.ai/M2tX4M

How Do Other Countries Deal With February?

It is very cold outside. So what can we learn about staying warm, sane and happy from the world's coldest countries? A new newsletter!
www.scienceofbetter.net/posts/how-do...

What MAGA Can Teach Democrats About Organizing—and Infighting Republicans have become adept at creating broad coalitions in which supporting Trump is the only requirement. Democrats get tied up with litmus tests.

10. I’d love to hear your thoughts on what Democrats and Republicans are doing well – and what they ought to steal from each other. You can find the entire article here:
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

snippet

9. Other groups doing similar work are ISAIAH in Minnesota and Hoosier Action in Indiana. But these kinds of groups don’t receive even a fraction of the money from bigtime Democrat donors.

Down Home North Carolina Down Home North Carolina is building power with poor and working-class people in North Carolina’s small towns and rural communities.

8. There are some Democrat groups doing good work: Down Home North Carolina is a perfect example of what can be accomplished when organizers focus on building communities of leaders – and those communities end up supporting progressive issues, even if they self-identify as MAGA.
downhomenc.org

snippet

7. Democrats, in contrast, sponsor large protests – but after the protest is over there is no new sense of connection to fellow protestors. And so swing voters – who might have attended the protest! – don’t turn out on election day, or don’t vote for the Democrat candidate.

snippet

6. MAGA builds communities of people devoted to each other. Even if people disagree about issues, they feel connected to their neighbors – and to the organization that brought them all together. And so when those neighbors and that organization says “Vote for Trump!” the people say “Sure, why not?”

Social Movements and Public Opinion in the United States Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...

5. Democrats, by and large, adopted a different strategy: “mobilizing”, getting people into the streets. However, mobilizing without also organizing is nearly pointless. One study found that protests had basically no effect on “public opinion and electoral behavior.”
www.nber.org/papers/w32342