THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST · AUTHOR
Jason Hreha
Applied behavioral scientist. Author. Writer.
I’m an applied behavioral scientist with nearly 18 years of experience, author of Real Change, and former Global Head of Behavioral Science at Walmart. At Stanford, I studied human biology and neuroscience and co-authored research with BJ Fogg. Today, I’m co-founder and CEO of Persona. My definition of habits is quoted in James Clear’s Atomic Habits.
What I write about
I write about behavior change, habits, psychology, and product design. My work explores how research applies to the decisions people make, the products they use, and the changes they want to make in their lives.
At The Behavioral Scientist, I publish research explanations, practical ideas, and developing frameworks of my own. My comparison of behavior change models examines what 16 frameworks explain, what their evidence shows, and where their limits begin. My full guides to the Behavioral State Model and Six Systems set out two models I am developing. Both are working frameworks, not settled science: neither has been independently validated as a complete model.
Background & work
- Walmart
- I co-founded Walmart’s behavioral science unit, one of the earliest at a Fortune 500 company, and served as Global Head of Behavioral Science. McKinsey’s discussion with corporate behavioral-science leaders identifies me in that role.
- Stanford research
- I was a researcher in BJ Fogg’s Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab (now the Stanford Behavior Design Lab). I co-authored Behavior Wizard: A Method for Matching Target Behaviors with Solutions with BJ Fogg in 2010. The publication records our affiliation with Stanford’s Persuasive Technology Lab.
- Kite.io
- I co-founded the mobile search startup Kite.io, which was acquired by Quixey.
- Persona
- I am co-founder and CEO of Persona, which recruits, employs, and supports remote team members for businesses.
- Real Change
- I wrote Real Change: Moving Beyond Habits to Achieve Lasting Transformation, a practical book about behavior change.
- Cited in Atomic Habits
- James Clear quotes my definition of habits in chapter 3. His published endnotes credit the original passage.
- Behavioral Strategy
- I developed an applied approach I call Behavioral Strategy, which brings research on human behavior into the strategic planning of products and programs. This is my own approach, distinct from the established academic field of behavioral strategy.
- Earlier writing
- I wrote a monthly column for Inc.com on behavioral science, innovation, and business, and a weekly column for BigThink on behavioral science topics. I co-authored Hacking Human Nature for Good with Dan Ariely and Kristen Berman, a practical guide to using behavioral economics for marketing and product design.
- Patents and patent applications
Searching and Accessing Application-Independent Functionality
US20160179882A1 · Published June 23, 2016Action-Based App Recommendation Engine
US20160299977A1 · Published October 13, 2016Generating Search Results Using Current Software Application States
US20160378871A1 · Published December 29, 2016
Selected writing
Behavior Change Models Compared: 16 Frameworks, Their Evidence and Practical Uses
A comparison of 16 frameworks, their evidence, and their limitations.
The Behavioral State Model: Eight Components of Behavior
My eight-component framework for diagnosing why a target behavior does or does not occur.
The Six Systems Model: Personality, Cognition, and Individual Differences
A developing framework that puts cognition beside five broad areas of personality.
How Long Does It Take to Form a Habit? What Lally et al. (2010) Actually Found
A close reading of a widely cited habit-formation study.