Rewire

The reasons bad habits are so hard to break are the subject of psychotherapist Richard O'Connor's book, which builds on ideas from his earlier Undoing Depression. He describes two brains: a thoughtful, conscious self, and an automatic one that quietly makes most choices. Drawing on psychology and brain science, he shows how the automatic self can be trained to ignore distractions, withstand temptation and interrupt reflexive responses. Procrastination, overeating, excessive worrying, risk-taking, internet addiction and self-medication are among the habits covered, with exercises throughout. He also describes what he calls the undertow, a force that sabotages effort just short of success, and teaches skills such as mindfulness, self-control and confronting fear.

Adore Me CTO Bogdan Lucaciu says it was his first neuropsychology book and that it shed light on his own bad habits, sparking an interest in books about the brain.