Narrative Identity: An S-Tier Behavioral Designer’s Guide
Dan McAdams' Narrative Identity Theory in plain English: agency and communion, redemption sequences, the generativity script, the cultural-bias…
Work with Yu-kai
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.
System Justification Theory: An S-Tier Behavioral Designer’s Guide
Jost and Banaji's System Justification Theory explained: the three-motive structure, the status-legitimacy debate, and how Octalysis turns it…
Stereotype Content Model: An S-Tier Behavioral Designer’s Guide
The first thing your brain does when it encounters a person, a brand, an avatar, or a country…
Why Does VR Engagement Always Die Right After the Wow?
Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3 dazzle for thirty minutes, then sit in drawers. Yu-kai Chou explains…
Why Does Meaningful Work Always Lose to Urgent Work?
Yu-kai Chou on why meaningful work loses to urgent work, and the two-method playbook for fixing it: wrap…
Does Your Token Have Real Utility? A 3-Type Test for Web3
Most Web3 tokens launched in 2026 do not have real token utility. They have a launch price and…
How to Disagree with a Client Without Losing the Account
The client just walked you through their idea. You hate it. You can see exactly where it goes…