Wendy Wood

Wendy Wood

Wendy Wood

Wendy Wood is a social psychologist whose research addresses the ways that habits guide behavior - and why they are so difficult to break - as well as evolutionary accounts of gender differences in behavior. Professor Wood has been Associate Editor of Psychological Review, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Review, and Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, the Society for Experimental Social Psychology, and a founding member of the Society for Research Synthesis. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Mental Health, and Rockefeller Foundation. Prior to joining USC, Professor Wood was James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Professor of Marketing at Duke University.

A red flag on top of a gray rock, with the right side dissolving into particles—like automatic habits breaking apart—set against a solid green background.
4 min
Are goals necessary? A habit scientist answers.
The US reduced smoking rates from 50% to 15% with a simple habit hack.
John Templeton Foundation
Two men in athletic clothing stand against a black background, with glowing light trails swirling around them—symbolizing the energy and persistence involved in forming habits through dedication and motion.
4 min
How do elite performers automate their habits?
Practice doesn’t actually make perfect. Here’s the willpower equation necessary for elite athletes and musicians.
John Templeton Foundation
Line drawing of a person with one arm raised, swinging a tennis racket to hit an unseen ball—motion lines suggest the path of the racket and capture the power of habit in each practiced stroke. Hit peak performance with the power of habit
There’s a psychological reason you haven’t created healthier habits in your life.
John Templeton Foundation
A muscular figure pries open the jaws of a roaring lion lying on its back, depicted in a dramatic, dynamic scene with expressive brushstrokes—symbolizing the struggle of learning how to change habits. The secret habits that control your life
Habit-forming rituals are subconsciously controlling your life. Here’s how to master them.
John Templeton Foundation