What does it really take to change a habit? Charles Duhigg, journalist and author of The Power of Habit, joins us to explore how our understanding of habits has evolved and why lasting change may start with changing how we see ourselves. From the “habit window” and keystone habits to habit chaining and identity shifts, we challenge long-held assumptions about willpower and explore how small changes in behavior and perspective can lead to lasting transformation.

[0:00] The Food Noise and GLP-1s

[10:47] Speed Round with Charles Duhigg

[16:50] The Habit Loop: What We Get Right and Wrong

[22:34] The Hidden Cues Behind Our Habits

[27:23] Keystone Habits, Habit Chaining, and Identity

[35:51] Temptation Bundling and Making Habits Easier

[40:07] How GLP-1 Medications Change Our Relationship With Willpower

[49:02] Why Researchers Should Work With Businesses

[55:09] Desert Island Music: The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones

[59:34] Groove Session: Why Your Actions Shape Your Identity

©2026 Behavioral Grooves

About Charles

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

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The Beatles - A Hard Day’s Night

The Rolling Stones - Beast of Burden

Why do we do what we do? Behavioral Grooves explores the science of human behavior with researchers, authors, and thinkers who help us make sense of ourselves, each other, and the world around us.

Have we misunderstood two of psychology’s most famous experiments? We revisit the Stanford Prison Experiment and the Robbers Cave experiment with science historians Thibault Le Texier and Gina Perry, who uncovered a much messier story behind the research we learned about in school. What can these experiments actually tell us about human behavior, and what happens when researchers become more invested in a specific conclusion than challenging their own assumptions?

[0:00] Two Famous Experiments, One Bigger Problem [6:47] Part One: The Stanford Prison Experiment [12:26] Were the Guards Coached to Be Cruel? [18:14] Is the Real Lesson About Leadership? [19:22] Part Two: The Robbers Cave Experiment [24:04] The Forgotten Middle Grove Experiment [28:38] Engineering the Robbers Cave Experiment [32:38] What Can We Actually Learn From These Experiments? [36:09] When the Story Gets in the Way of the Science [41:36] What Happens When a Story Sounds Too Tidy?

©2026 Behavioral Grooves

Investigating the Stanford Prison Experiment: History of a Lie by Thibault Le Texier

About Gina Perry

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