Collection of all Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation Blog Posts
Left Brain vs Right Brain Core Drives, and how they relate to Extrinsic vs Intrinsic Motivation There is…
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.
[Guest Post] When online brands meet social engagement – a match made in heaven
How behavioral economics has turned online brands into emotionally rewarding user experiences — offering a whole new engaging…
Woot!! Won “Gamification Guru of the Year” Award at the Gamification World Congress
Table of Contents The Biggest Gamification Conference in Europe High interest in my book: Actionable Gamification — Beyond…
Yu-kai Chou analyzes Jane McGonigal’s SuperBetter 1.0 through Octalysis [Day 1]
Table of Contents About the Creator of the Octalysis Framework A Gamification Analysis of SuperBetter 1.0 Related Reading…
The California Roll Rule: Why Users Reject Innovation
Every product team eventually faces the same puzzle: you’ve built something better, but users won’t touch it. The…
What Is a Gaming Whale? I Met One Who Spent $30,000
A gaming whale is a player who spends far more real money on a free-to-play game than almost…
Affection Held Hostage – how my love for my wife got me duped in China
Table of Contents My Affection Held Hostage Loss & Avoidance Lessons in this experience About the Creator of…
Is Gamification Manipulation? The Ethics Litmus Test (2026)
Is gamification just a fancy word for manipulation? During his conference talks, Yu-kai Chou regularly gets this question…
A CEO’s account of how his Startup Failed (RewardMe)
A post that will cost me $25,000 (regarding how I lost $1 Million in Funding) This post has…