Nir Eyal Quotes

“A 2010 study found that some habits can be formed in a matter of weeks while others can take more than five months. The researchers also found that the complexity of the behavior and how important the habit was to the person greatly affected how quickly the routine was formed.”

“A 2011 university study suggested people check their phones 34 times per day. 79 percent of smartphone owners check their device within 15 minutes of waking up every morning. Perhaps more startling, fully one-third of Americans say they would rather give up sex than lose their cell phones.”

“A habit is at work when users feel a tad bored and instantly open Twitter. They feel a pang of loneliness and before rational thought occurs, they are scrolling through their Facebook feeds. A question comes to mind and before searching their brains, they query Google. The first-to-mind solution wins.”

“A habit is when not doing an action causes a bit of discomfort. The sensation is similar to an itch, a feeling that manifests within the mind until it is satisfied. The habit-forming products we use are simply there to provide some sort of relief. Using a technology or product to scratch the itch provides faster satisfaction than ignoring it. Once we come to depend on a tool, switching to something else takes work.”

“A habit is when not doing an action causes a bit of pain.”

“A multiscreen world of ad-wary consumers has rendered Don Draper’s big-budget brainwashing useless to all but the biggest brands.”

“According to a study by a mobile analytics firm, 26 percent of mobile apps in 2010 were downloaded and used only once. Further data suggests people are using more applications but engaging with them less frequently.”

“All humans are motivated to seek pleasure and avoid pain, to seek hope and avoid fear, and finally, to seek social acceptance and avoid rejection.”

“Although Breaking Bad owes a great deal of its success to its talented cast and crew, fundamentally the program utilized a simple formula to keep people tuning in. At the heart of every episode — and also across each season’s narrative arc — is a problem the characters must resolve. For example, during an episode in the first season, Walter White must find a way to dispose of the bodies of two rival drug dealers. Challenges prevent resolution of the conflict and suspense is created as the audience waits to find out how the storyline ends. In this particular episode, White discovers one of the drug dealers is still alive and is faced with the dilemma of having to kill someone he thought was already dead. Invariably, each episode’s central conflict is resolved near the end of the show, at which time a new challenge arises to pique the viewer’s curiosity. By design, the only way to know how Walter gets out of the mess he is in at the end of the latest episode is to watch the next episode.”

“Buffett and his partner, Charlie Munger, realized that as customers form routines around a product, they come to depend upon it and become less sensitive to price.”

“Companies who form strong user habits enjoy several benefits to their bottom line.”

“Habit-forming products often start as nice-to-haves (vitamins) but once the habit is formed, they become must-haves (painkillers).”

“If it can’t be used for evil, it’s not a superpower.”

“Instead of relying on expensive marketing, habit-forming companies link their services to the users’ daily routines and emotions.”

“Internet is, a giant machine designed to give people what they want.”

“Many innovations fail because consumers irrationally overvalue the old while companies irrationally overvalue the new. For new entrants to stand a chance, they can’t just be better, they must be nine times better.

Why such a high bar? Because old habits die hard and new products or services need to offer dramatic improvements to shake users out of old routines. Products that require a high degree of behavior change are doomed to fail even if the benefits of using the new product are clear and substantial.”

“One method is to try asking the question "Why?" as many times as it takes to get to an emotion. Usually this will happen by the fifth “Why?” This is a technique adapted from the Toyota Production System described by Taiichi Ohno as the “5 Whys Method.” Ohno wrote that it was "the basis of Toyota's scientific approach by repeating "why?" five times, the nature of the problem as well as its solution becomes clear.”

“The mind takes shortcuts informed by our surroundings to make quick and sometimes erroneous judgments.”

“To change behavior, products must ensure the user feels in control. People must want to use the service, not feel they have to.”

“Too many choices or irrelevant options can cause hesitation, confusion, or worse—abandonment.”

“Users who continually find value in a product are more likely to tell their friends about it.”

“We often think the Internet enables you to do new things. But people just want to do the same things they’ve always done.”

“A technique I’ve found particularly helpful for dealing with this distraction trap is the 'ten-minute rule'. If I find myself wanting to check my phone as a pacification device when I can’t think of anything better to do, I tell myself it’s fine to give in, but not right now. I have to wait just ten minutes. This technique is effective at helping me deal with all sorts of potential distractions, like googling something rather than writing, eating something unhealthy when I’m bored, or watching another episode on Netflix when I’m 'too tired to go to bed'.”

“Addicts’ beliefs regarding their powerlessness was just as significant in determining whether they would relapse after treatment as their level of physical dependence. Just let that sink in. Mindset mattered as much as physical dependence! What we say to ourselves is vitally important. Labeling yourself as having poor self-control actually leads to less self-control.”

“After all, the time you plan to waste is not wasted time.”

“All motivation is a desire to escape discomfort. If a behavior was previously effective at providing relief, we’re likely to continue using it as a tool to escape discomfort.”

“Anything that stops discomfort is potentially addictive, but that doesn’t make it irresistible. If you know the drivers of your behavior, you can take steps to manage them.”

“Being indistractable means striving to do what you say you will do.”

“Consider our children. How can they flourish if they can’t concentrate long enough to apply themselves? What example are we setting for them if our loving faces are replaced by the tops of our heads as we constantly stare into our screens?”

“Consider the game of pool. What makes the colored balls go into the pockets? Is it the white cue ball, the stick, or the player’s actions? We understand that while the white cue ball and stick are necessary, the root cause is the player. The white cue ball and stick aren’t the root causes; they are the proximate causes of the resulting event.”