The Power of Habit

by

Charles Duhigg

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Power of Habit makes teaching easy.

Eugene Pauly Character Analysis

Eugene Pauly was an elderly California man who suffered from lasting brain damage after a severe infection. As a result of this damage, he couldn’t remember any new information—including what day of the week it was and who his children were. But he could still act out all of his existing habits and even form new ones. For instance, he could easily walk around the block and find his way home, even though he couldn’t say which home was his. Pauly’s experience showed neuroscientists that memory and habit depend on different systems in the brain, and Duhigg uses him to emphasize that point.

Eugene Pauly Quotes in The Power of Habit

The The Power of Habit quotes below are all either spoken by Eugene Pauly or refer to Eugene Pauly . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Habits, Human Behavior, and Success Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

As they rounded the corner near his house, the visitor asked Eugene where he lived. “I don’t know, exactly,” he said. Then he walked up his sidewalk, opened his front door, went into the living room, and turned on the television.

Related Characters: Charles Duhigg (speaker), Eugene Pauly (speaker)
Page Number: 12
Explanation and Analysis:

And in almost every experiment, researchers have seen echoes of Squire’s discoveries with Eugene: Habits are powerful, but delicate. They can emerge outside our consciousness, or can be deliberately designed. They often occur without our permission, but can be reshaped by fiddling with their parts. They shape our lives far more than we realize—they are so strong, in fact, that they cause our brains to cling to them at the exclusion of all else, including common sense.

Related Characters: Charles Duhigg (speaker), Eugene Pauly , Larry Squire
Page Number: 25
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Power of Habit PDF

Eugene Pauly Quotes in The Power of Habit

The The Power of Habit quotes below are all either spoken by Eugene Pauly or refer to Eugene Pauly . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Habits, Human Behavior, and Success Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

As they rounded the corner near his house, the visitor asked Eugene where he lived. “I don’t know, exactly,” he said. Then he walked up his sidewalk, opened his front door, went into the living room, and turned on the television.

Related Characters: Charles Duhigg (speaker), Eugene Pauly (speaker)
Page Number: 12
Explanation and Analysis:

And in almost every experiment, researchers have seen echoes of Squire’s discoveries with Eugene: Habits are powerful, but delicate. They can emerge outside our consciousness, or can be deliberately designed. They often occur without our permission, but can be reshaped by fiddling with their parts. They shape our lives far more than we realize—they are so strong, in fact, that they cause our brains to cling to them at the exclusion of all else, including common sense.

Related Characters: Charles Duhigg (speaker), Eugene Pauly , Larry Squire
Page Number: 25
Explanation and Analysis: