Your social status is killing you
For most of my career, I was a consultant. Not one of those Bain or McKinsey consultants. I had my own shop (Dopamine, LLC), and chose…
I’m Jason Hreha.
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Are you afraid of missing out? I am.
I've been experiencing a lot of FOMO this holiday season.For those of you who aren't up to date on the lingo, FOMO means Fear Of Missing…
What doctors and behavioral scientists have in common
When I’m feeling particularly fanciful, I like to think of myself as a less charming House M.D. Instead of staring into a Macbook and going through…
Psychology studies that *actually* pass the test
I feel like doing a cartwheel and yelling with joy.No, I didn't win the lottery... or receive a big quarterly bonus (though, I would gladly accept…
Virtual Reality Is Our Savior: A Vision Of The Future Of Education
In an earlier article, I talked about the fact that we learn much better when we learn with our entire body - all of our senses.…
Stop interviewing your candidates – seriously
Back in 2010, I was really excited. I had gotten past the first round interview at a company that shall not be named and was supposed…
To be happy… give
I left you hanging yesterday.I’m sorry.One Saturday each month, I throw a “monthly mingle”. This is where I have a bunch of friends over for food,…
Your grandma could probably destroy most behavioral science PhDs
I love the behavioral sciences. Ever since I learned that you could study the gray lump behind our eyes, I’ve been obsessed. At first, I was…
Use Your Head, Not Google’s
After my last email, I received a number of questions about the best way to come up with behavior ideas for a given goal.In general, I…
The Four Horsemen of the Tech Addiction Apocalypse
Over the last 12 years I’ve been in Silicon Valley, I’ve heard a constant stream of complaints about technology being “addicting”.But, interestingly, I’ve never heard this…
Why modern art is dominating the world
Today I went to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (also known as LACMA).They have pieces from most of the eminent artists of the modern…
Bad Copywriting Is The Most Overlooked Problem In Product Design
Even though I’ve been using Spotify for many years, I still get confused as to what “continue” refers to. Am I clicking “continue” to keep playing…
What donuts, Rolexes, and Las Vegas have in common…
I'm sitting at the airport, waiting to fly out of Las Vegas.I've only been here for 17 hours but I feel like I've been here for…
This (scientific) test tells you how well you can read people
A friend and I were having a disagreement. He thought that we had offended a friend of a friend at a party we had just attended.…
The 7 Psychology & Behavior Books Every Product Person Should Read
Persuasive Technology by B.J. Fogg Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely Thinking Fast & Slow by Daniel Kahneman Making Habits, Breaking Habits by Jeremy Dean (best book on habits) Influence by Robert Cialdini…
Default Nudges Don’t Increase Organ Donation Rates: The Truth About Behavioral Economics
Whenever I talk about nudging, I get a barrage of messages about organ donation and how wildly successful nudging is at driving behavior-change in that domain.…
How arcades are designed to make you hurt
A few weeks ago I went to an arcade for the first time in years. To play, I had to place quarters in the games. This…
As dangerous as a toddler with a katana
Recently, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how to hire a behavioral scientist. The people asking this question all seem to believe that knowing…
You can practice pain?
Years ago, I met a psychiatrist who specialized in addiction and chronic pain.While I learned a number of fascinating things from him, one has really stuck…
Technology Is for Sinners
“Envy is a really stupid sin because it’s the only one you could never possibly have any fun at. There’s a lot of pain and no…
Mo’ money mo’ problems
I remember watching TV sometime in the middle of the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Amidst the fear and frustration, I recall intense outrage at the bankers and…
Every good (customer) relationship is built on ♥️
I think I have a problem. For the past 6 years, I’ve had this strange, uncontrollable urge to give Apple money. I can’t explain it. Apple…
66 Days
How long do you think it takes to form a habit? When I ask people this question, I almost always get two answers: “21 days!” “30…
This Exercise Will Help You Generate More Ideas (and Reveal What You’re Getting Wrong About Creativity)
If you're like most people, you think that creativity is a mysterious, even magical, process by which new concepts and ideas are summoned out of the ether--ready…
The New Face of Uncertainty
In my last post, I talked a bit about the fundamental purpose of technology: reducing uncertainty.Uncertainty is a double edged sword in the human experience -…
The shaky behavioral science research that Google fell for
You’re probably familiar with the research on mindless eating—especially the study with the “endless soup bowl”. In that study, researchers had participants come into a restaurant…
Marketers and The Myth of Perfect Control
You're not broken. I promise.I can understand why you would think you are, though. After all, you're an expert in yourself. Like a fine painter, you're…
Why you can never trust anyone (even a Nobel Prizewinner)
My favorite professor in college was Robert Sapolsky.Yes—the baboon and zebra guy.As someone who was studying neuroscience, I was used to attending classes that could put even the…
The “old me” would have been too tired to write this
About two and a half years ago, I walked out into the courtyard of an apartment I was living in and got into our hot-tub.I turned…
Beware of Behavioral Economics
In April 2020, James Clear went on Sam Harris’ podcast to talk about his excellent book, Atomic Habits. In the interview, he spoke about my definition…
Don’t be a tweaker–seriously
Today I’m going to pick on what I call the “tweakers” of behavioral science. Another name for people could be the “cookie monsters”—those that inelegantly copy…
What you can learn about persuasion from an 81-year-old encyclopedia (named Ray)
For years, I’ve been listening to this goofy little show on a local community-owned radio station here in Northern California. It talks about using diet, lifestyle…
Behavior Market Fit
Over the past 15 years, achieving Product Market Fit has been seen as the holy grail for every new product. Marc Andreessen defines Product Market Fit…
According to psychology, we’re all evil (but there’s hope…)
Our country is in the middle of a civil war.This war isn’t being fought with bullets and bazookas, it’s being fought with words and withering glances.While…
Thinking Fast and Sl…
Earlier today, I was scrolling through my Twitter feed when I saw something striking, though maybe not surprising.According to the tweet, only 7% of people that…
Goals, gradients, and grunts
I spent yesterday evening at the 24 Hour Fitness on Bay Street in San Francisco.I know—exciting way to spend a Friday night.There were a surprising number…
Instant Gratification is Good For You: Lessons for Education
Contrary to popular belief, instant gratification is a good thing. It’s good for us to get instantaneous feedback for our actions. It’s good for us to…
The Progress Principle — or “how to kill a company”
Throughout my career, I’ve had the luxury of being able to peek into well over a hundred companies. Some of these peeks were quite superficial, while…
The first principle of behavior design
When I was a freshman in college, I wanted to get big—muscular. I met a fellow classmate of mine, a burly guy named Tommy, who did…
I got rid of most of my habits
Almost four weeks ago, I left Walmart and moved to Los Angeles. I had been in San Francisco for almost ten years and was starting to…
Real Change: Moving Beyond Habits to Achieve Lasting Transformation
Read Real Change and explore the companion worksheets.
Explore habit trading and transformative practices with Jason Hreha.