Will I love How to Change?

There is much evidence that individuals often suffer from inertia when it comes to making significant decisions – including investment choices.

This engaging book by Professor Milkman at the Wharton School aims to create a climate in which “change” can be accomplished in an efficient, systematic, and relatively painless way. There are numerous examples of improvements by both individuals and organizations. This highly readable book is a must for anyone interested in creating and sustaining positive change habits, for example, to encourage increased savings and systematic investment policies.

Professor Milkman is one of our successful undergraduate alums and participates on… show more.

Despite being 75 years old and having studied to be a behavioral therapist in my younger days, I’m always struggling to change one or another bad habit – to exercise more, to consume fewer carbs, less cerveza, and more fruits and vegetables, etc.

Although Milkman is trained as an engineer and works in a business college, she has done research on behavior change, and does an amazing job summarizing the behavioral research on how to change.

This book is chock full of practical advice – such as bundling temptations with virtuous activities (listen to an audiobook or some great music… show more.

Locked away in academic journals are many key insights that can change your life.

Most of us struggle with change. No matter what your goals are, from trying to learn a new language, to exercising more, using science can help get you there.

Wharton Professor Katy Milkman brilliantly presents the science of changing in an actionable manner, so that we can all start making the changes that we want in the most effective way! 

Katy Milkman's 2021 book tackles the question that every self-help book since the invention of the genre has attempted to answer: how to (really, finally, durably) start doing what you want to do and stop doing what you don't. So, what is Milkman's secret weapon? Behavioral science, of course. In her view, whether a strategy for change works or not is not a matter of belief or personal experience – it is an empirical question to be tested by research. Personally, I think How to Change is the last self-help book I will ever need.