Default Nudges: Fake Behavior Change
After my last two emails, I received a large number of messages expressing shock over the state of applied behavioral economics. However, a small group pushed…
I’m Jason Hreha.
My latest writing.
In your inbox.
In your inbox.
Behavioral science insights on psychology, products, and personal change.
Direct to your inbox · NO SPAM
Behavioral science, psychology, and practical ideas for changing behavior.
All Articles
Want to Build a Successful Team? The Latest Research Says That This Is the Most Important Factor
What makes a successful team? Is it a strong leader? Smart people? Good processes? Organization? A high-tech and well-designed office space? If you do a quick…
4 Effective Persuasion Tactics Your Parents Used On You
When figuring out how to change people's behavior, it's a fun and helpful practice to model your approach on effective persuaders you've encountered in your own life.…
Enduring Envy: Jealousy in the 21st Century
"Envy is a really stupid sin because it’s the only one you could never possibly have any fun at.” - Charlie MungerWe’re social creatures. We spend…
Why we do stressful things (like traveling) in the name of relaxation
I couldn’t sleep.The clock read 4:15AM, but I wasn’t tired—at all.My apartment was in the center of Amsterdam’s Red Light district, so there was plenty to…
Prague Holds The Secret To Great Art
What conditions are necessary for great art? Does it merely require a person of extreme genius to come along? Does it require patronage and lots of…
Why Behavior Design Is The Future of UX Design
It's a common sight: office walls covered in sticky notes with labels like "frugal Fran" and "adventurous Adam." In the past 10 years, there's been a…
The coronavirus messaging disaster
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been getting a number of emails about the novel coronavirus. People have been particularly interested in how I would increase…
4 Secrets to Keeping Your Employees Motivated, According to a Duke Behavioral Economist
Dan Ariely, the famous Duke behavioral economist and author of multiple New York Times Bestsellers, such as "Predictably Irrational," just released a short, new book on motivation,…
We Need a New Applied Behavioral Discipline: Why Behavioral Science Isn’t Powerful Enough On Its Own
There's something missing in the world of applied behavioral science. We have a lot of powerful fields that can help us understand human behavior: User Experience…
How a San Francisco coffee shop tricks people into liking bad coffee
There’s this coffee chain in San Francisco that’s all the rage. It’s called Philz.As a moderate coffee snob, I’ve always found the growing popularity of this…
Jocks vs. Nerds
The people around me erupted in cheer. I felt some cold beer splash on my new white shoes. A part of me winced, imagining the Clorox…
Don’t be an inch wide and a mile deep
I’m in Boise, Idaho for the Human Behavior and Evolution Society’s annual conference.It’s been a blast. The presentations are awesome, the people are great, and the…
A behavior-design lesson from one of the world’s top YouTubers…
A few of months ago, I was visiting a friend down in Los Angeles.We were hanging out at his place, chatting and catching up.His girlfriend was…
Be A Creator, Not A Consumer
I read too much. I also spend too much time listening to podcasts and music. And there are even times that I binge-watch TV shows (like…
There Are No Shortcuts in Product Development — or in Life
In the past few weeks, I’ve noticed a strangely ubiquitous pattern: an obsession with what I would call “advanced features”, and a nearly complete disregard of…
The best reward I’ve seen in awhile
Today I was sitting at my living room table, working away, when my phone buzzed. I looked down to see who was texting me. “977-79” Gah,…
Hell on Earth — brought to you via Social Proof
Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco is hell on Earth. As a resident of the city, I travel down to that god-forsaken stretch of concrete maybe three…
How To Encourage A Behavior (In Three Steps)
It’s really that simple. Whenever you want yourself, or someone else, to do something more often, you just need to follow these three steps. Step 1:…
Uber is playing with fire
Yesterday morning a friendly person named Henry came to my house to pick me up. I jumped in his car and was provided with a 45…
The Path to Success: Focus on the Basics
Stop. Whatever you're doing right now; please, just stop. I need you to take two deep breaths. I need you to take four steps back. Look…
Why you should stop buying ebooks
This is why I have a love-hate relationship with my Kindle...You see, the other day I came across an interesting study in the Journal of Consumer…
How Social Media is Polarizing Us
I’ve been thoroughly dismayed by Facebook the past couple of years. Maybe it’s a quirk of memory, but I don’t remember my feed being so full…
When Google Maps turns you into a mindless zombie
Earlier today I ordered some groceries.About an hour later, I heard a ping on my phone: “Your order is on its way!”I checked the app to…
The Cognitive Bias That Destroys Your Ability to Correctly Predict the Future
One of the perverse quirks of cognition is that we overestimate how similar the future will be to the present. When we imagine things twenty or thirty…
The two tests that accurately measure your personality
For the last year, I’ve been thinking a lot about personality psychology. It’s a fascinating field, but you have to be careful to separate the gunk…
The Vast, Bloody Gap Between Theory And Practice
Everyone has a large number of great theories or ideas. Here’s one that I have: Wouldn’t it be great if all of the money that each…
A second warning
Yesterday I implored you not to be a tweaker...And today I want to do it again."What is a tweaker?"I’m referring to individuals obsessed with solving big…
Use This Simple Model To Figure Out How You Can Boost Your Daily Levels of Energy
Over the years, I've become increasingly convinced that the sign of a life well lived is an abundance of energy. Tony Robbins and Scott Adams (of Dilbert fame), both…
Clueless, evil technology masterminds
I'm going to let you in on a dirty little secret: no applied psychologist, behavioral scientist, or neuroscientist knows how to change all behavior all the…
Doggie treats don’t work well on humans
The other day, I was talking with a friend of mine on the phone. He wanted to know my thoughts on what I call the "doggie…
Models to Know: Fogg Behavior Model
Today I want to share the most powerful and useful model of behavior that I’ve ever encountered: The Fogg Behavior Model. There have been few other ideas…
When bar bands blow minds
Yesterday I lost my keys, and the whole thing is a true mystery.I didn’t notice until I got to my front door.Reflexively, I reached down to…
Where have all the good books gone? (and my *new* newsletter)
It’s amazing how little high-quality behavioral science content is out there.When I first got into the field I thought that it would take a lifetime to…
Why you should be boring before you’re creative (when designing a product)
his morning I was drinking coffee and checking email before work.In the middle of the night, I had received an interesting question from a reader. They…
A short lesson from “The Godfather of Persuasion”
Last night, I had the pleasure of having dinner with one of my behavioral science idols, Robert Cialdini.We talked about psychology, music, and food for hours.…
Who’s more accurate: Weather forecasters or doctors?
Over the last week, I've been reading a terrific (yet terrifying) book.It's called Risk Intelligence, and it talks all about our ability to estimate the probabilities…
This is why talking to strangers is scary (and why it shouldn’t be)
Earlier today, I was talking with someone I know who’s a marriage and family therapist. We were chatting about “being social”, and how rare it is…
One of the legends of political warfare agrees with me…
Not too long ago I discovered a fascinating political strategy book.It's kind of like Sun Tzu's "Art of War", but for those fighting with words and…
Two lessons from a workshop
Yesterday, I took part in an amazing workshop.The organizer brought in dozens of people from the market we’re interested in, and we spent hours talking 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.