Why a 4th century monk could have been the best marketer of all time
If Evagrius Ponticus were alive today, I think he would be the world’s best marketer.The talent wars fought over him would make the Bay Area shake.…
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How self-esteem took over the world
The reason I wrote about “self esteem” yesterday is this fascinating article in The Guardian. I suggest you read the whole thing, but I want to…
The Triumph of The Most Poisonous Emotion
I’ve always been struck by the power of envy. Other than anger, it is perhaps the most commanding emotion, able to instantly turn our stomachs and…
The tyranny of… holidays?
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there.Sending my appreciation to all of you – hope that you had a wonderful Sunday.Which brings us to…
Why you have to tell more stories
When I first started blogging, I wrote dry information-packed articles.They had titles like "Behavior Design 101" and were filled with bulleted lists.I worked hard on these…
Why most of the research you see is biased
I want you to pretend that you're the Editor-in-Chief of a science-focused magazine. You're sitting at your desk one day when you receive two emails. The…
How a 70 billion dollar company botched its pricing strategy
The other day, I ordered an Uber after work. After I entered my destination in the app, I was quoted a price: $2.99. Sweet! About 45…
Be original. Copy other people.
I'm a DJ.So are you.You see, our brains are just gigantic remixers.They take in sounds, sights, smells, and ideas and smash them together to create the…
Why you need to escape the office to get your mojo back
One of the core findings in motivational psychology is that we're driven by meaning.If we don't see a higher purpose in what we're doing, we sputter…
The Most Important Question You Can Ask: Then What?
Life is full of next steps. In the academic literature, these things would be called “second order effects”. But, in real life, they’re called consequences (or…
Why big cities can be psychologically freeing
I’ve been in Los Angeles for the past week. The place is huge.San Francisco feels like a small town in comparison.Over the years, I’ve noticed that…
Transcendent Social Media: Watching the World Cup Like Never Before
Last weekend, I sat down with a billion other people from across the globe to watch Germany battle Argentina for the World Cup final. In actuality,…
Don’t Express Yourself – Communicate Instead
In life, the most important skill is communication. It’s the bottleneck to almost every problem in almost every area of our lives. Effective communication is similar…
Behavioral Strategy: An Overview
What is Behavioral Strategy? Behavioral strategy is an interdisciplinary field that takes insights and methods from a variety of different disciplines and uses them to help…
That time Amazon tried to burn my hand off…
I have a confession to make:I ordered something from Amazon Fresh yesterday.Yes—I know. It’s bad.As a Walmart man, that’s something I shouldn’t do.But I had just…
Why flight delays are so stressful (#$@&%*!)
My flight this morning got canceled.The only other way for me to get to Arkansas was via Houston, and the connecting window was small… but I…
Sensy is here to save the day!
Today I had to join a couple of conference calls.Because I’m still pumpkin-faced from my surgery, I was only a mere spectator. I couldn’t talk.There’s nothing…
Here’s Why the Loop is Stupid
Behavioral science is full of ideas that seem really useful but are actually quite useless. A great example of this is the "operant conditioning loop". This…
You Have More Willpower Than You Think
One of the trendiest ideas in popular psychology in the last few years has been that of “ego depletion” or willpower as a limited resource. Many…
To become forgettable, shoot for status
The other day, I was sitting on my couch and looking for cool new articles.After a few minutes of scrolling, one caught my eye.Its title?“Prestigious science…
Your house is holding you back — seriously
In 2010, I woke up one Saturday morning and decided to stop eating sugar. I would only eat beans, veggies, and meat from then on.A year…
How to Run a Cheap, Fast, & Incredibly Useful User Test
User testing isn’t rocket science. In fact, it’s common sense wrapped in fancy language. Unfortunately, every discipline tends to make itself more and more complicated the…
How to win at poker if you can’t play poker (using behavioral science)
Yesterday I won a Rug Doctor.Yes—a professional carpet cleaner.How? In a poker tournament, of course.I got pulled into the annual charity poker tourney run by the…
Work got you down? It may be Learned Helplessness.
Hey everyone – happy Sunday. It’s a beautiful day here in San Francisco. I’ve been sitting on the balcony and reading one of the early works…
The #1 behavior-change strategy used by Obama’s Behavioral Science Team
About a year and a half ago, I was talking with a former member of President Obama’s Social and Behavioral Sciences Team. This was a small…
Triggers… Triggers everywhere!
My favorite definition of an email inbox is “a todo list made for you by other people”.So true.And it never ends. The emails keep coming in.…
Bad News For Nudges
Two days ago, The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published a letter that I can only describe as a bomb. Here it is: No…
Don’t expect much from this article
About a week ago, I took a friend from Europe out to dinner. It was a wonderful night, but I was a little upset about one…
Forget “Mindfulness”: Habits Make Us Human
A person is, in large part, the sum of their habits. We go through an evolutionary process each day, in which certain behaviors in our repertoire…
What dog training and good management have in common
Yesterday evening I went to go hang out with my friend, his wife, his baby, and his two dogs.Both of his dogs are amazing, but one…
One of the biggest errors researchers make
Today I want to point out a mistake that plagues the behavioral science world.Even well-known scientists make this error from time to time.I'm speaking about the…
The day you stopped having rational arguments
Today is the day you stopped having rational arguments.Yep. You heard me.At the end of this article, you're going to be a slightly different person. You're…
Everything Changes Your Brain
Almost every week, I see an article like this.And every time I see one of these articles, I’m overcome with a sudden feeling of despair.Why?Because I’m…
How a good story sells a $20 cup of coffee
Over the weekend I learned something a bit disheartening.I’ve been living a lie.Back in 2009 and 2010 I had an insatiable coffee addiction. I couldn’t get…
You Are Not In Complete Control Of Yourself: And That’s A Good Thing
In our culture, there are two diametrically opposed beliefs. The first is that we are powerful and strong creatures that have the ability to shape our…
We see what we desire, not what we believe
Our desires drive our perceptions.Depending on what we *want*, our worlds will look wildly different.Part of this is due to our attention. When we have a…
How To Get The Job You Were Made For
It starts with Karma.In general, you get what you give. If you give nothing, and just ask other people for favors, you’ll get nothing. Actually, you’ll…
Yes–you can skip a day every now and then
I've been burnt out.It might be due to all my traveling.It might be due to my new workout routine.It might be due to the bad sleep…
Where celebrities get all of their power
About 7 years ago I was walking back home when it started raining.I was living near the top of Potrero Hill in San Francisco at that…
Some of the worst persuasion you’ll ever see
Last week I was driving down the freeway in Los Angeles when I saw one of the least persuasive anti-smoking signs ever. It’s one of those…
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.