Nir Eyal defined habits as “behaviors done with little or no conscious thought.” This is the central theme to Hooked – can we do something frequently enough without thought to form a habit loop that is automatic? 

The now famous series of lectures Nir Eyal has done on how to utilize technology to create habit loops has changed the world around. Apps, social media, and smart phones have completely changed the way we orient ourselves and our lives in a given day. Eyal mentioned that there is a potential nefarious outcome from highly addictive habits such as checking social media, but there could be potential benefits as well. 

What if we could make healthy habits of consistent and sustainable exercise, better nutritional choices, and stress management as addictive as checking instagram? Eyal mentioned that the same basic model used by Weight Watchers is the same as used by Twitter. One is villainized for being addictive and the other is considered a net positive for someone looking to lose weight. The only difference is how successful social media has been relative to healthy habit loops. 

It is a complete positive when trying to understand human psychology in order to create behavioral change. The goal is to improve their quality of life. It is not brainwashing or manipulative to have someone perform higher level habits consistently. By understanding how we can create feedback loops towards a specific goal, we can assure more consistent levels of success across a larger number of people. 

Hooked Model: 1 Trigger – 2 Action – 3 Variable Reward – 4 Investment

The Trigger is, as Eyal would describe it, the ‘actuator’. It is initiated with an external focus, email/text/message, and then followed by an internal focus. The internal trigger is what initiates the stored memory process. The external trigger becomes unnecessary to initiate the action. We need both internal and external, just one becomes more valuable in certain situations.

Then comes Action which is leveraged by ability and motivation. If the task is too hard, the person will stop. If the person is not motivated, the person will stop. The key to understanding how motivation works comes down to understanding how behavior works. Behavior is the product of seeking pleasure, acceptance, and hope while avoiding pain, rejection, and fear. By understanding behavior, we can understand how to create action. 

After action comes Variable Reward. This is constructed based on how we perceive value. We seek validation from our actions based on two primary objectives: extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic is something tangible like a prize or trophy. Intrinsic comes in the form of knowledge or mastery of something. Different rewards will mean different things for the individual, but for an action to be continued, there needs to be some sort of pay out. 

The final step is Investment. This is where the model leads to the outcome of being ‘hooked.’ The dynamic of trigger, action, and variable reward being repeated is based on the idea of future intended outcomes. The promise of something more or better with repeated use leads to outcomes that are repeated. The instant gratification with variable rewards is only continued unless there is an expectation of that being more or better with repeated usage.

The loop from there is continued and repeated until it becomes an unconscious thought. Imagine someone instinctively sleeping 8 hours, drinking half their bodyweight in water, eating 8 servings of vegetables, exercising, and managing stress levels every day every day without even thinking about it! We have triggers all around – social media, friends/teammates/families/us (coaches). We as coaches need to manage the actions of making it attainable and understandable in a progressive manner. The reward is tracking progress from our efforts and understanding why it is happening. The final aspect of continued work will garner better results. 

Apps and social media understand how the human psyche works better than anything that has ever existed. These entities have literally changed human behavior and habits more so than anything created by humans. Instead of demonizing this, we should leverage this as a model to change habits and behaviors for positive outcomes. Use Triggers to get people started, use Actions to do something, use Variable Rewards to give feedback on progress, and finally use Investment to ensure continued success with longer commitment.