Gratitude Interventions: An S-Tier Behavioral Designer’s Guide
I’ve spent over two decades watching wellness apps copy each other’s gratitude features without naming the research underneath…
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The Blog
Ideas on motivation, behavior & design.
Deep dives on the psychology behind why people do what they do — from Yu-kai Chou, creator of the Octalysis Framework. Pick the topic that matters to you.
Grit: An S-Tier Behavioral Designer’s Guide to Passion & Perseverance
Angela Duckworth’s Grit sold over a million copies, won her a MacArthur “genius” grant, and became the single…
Relational Models Theory: An S-Tier Behavioral Designer’s Guide
Watch a friend pull out a calculator at the end of a dinner to split the bill down…
The Investment Model of Commitment: An S-Tier Behavioral Designer’s Guide
Short answer: The Investment Model of Commitment is Caryl Rusbult’s 1980 extension of Interdependence Theory. It models commitment…
Interdependence Theory: An S-Tier Behavioral Designer’s Guide
Two players sit down at a table, each with two buttons. The buttons don’t cost anything to press.…
Intergroup Contact Theory: An S-Tier Behavioral Designer’s Guide
Short answer: Intergroup Contact Theory, advanced by Gordon Allport in his 1954 book The Nature of Prejudice, holds…
Sociometer Theory: An S-Tier Behavioral Designer’s Guide
Mark Leary's Sociometer Theory in plain English: self-esteem as a gauge of perceived relational value, the cracks in…