Habits are activities that we engage in with no conscious thought. We build habits tied to our everyday lives, which makes it so difficult to shift away from them. Our habits are what make it so difficult to quit smoking as a new year’s resolution. Adapting to the differences in the Bing interface is what actually slows down regular Google users and makes Bing feel inferior, not the technology itself.” – Nir Eyal Although many aspects of Bing are similar to Google, even a slight change in pixel placement forces the would-be user to learn a new way of interacting with the site. If a user is familiar with the Google interface, switching to Bing requires cognitive effort. “So why haven’t more Google users switched to Bing? Habits keep users loyal. It’s Difficult to Change or Replace Established Habits “Companies that successfully change behaviors present users with an implicit choice between their old way of doing things and a new, more convenient way to fulfill existing needs.” – Nir Eyal

Nir runs a popular blog on and frequently writes articles for The Harvard Business Review and Psychology Today. Additionally, he has taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. Nir has founded and sold two companies since 2003.

Nir writes, consults, and teaches about the importance of psychology and technology in business. Hooked provides insight into how you can form habits around your products by using technology, business, and psychology knowledge. These connections draw the consumer back time after time, allowing the company to save money on no longer having to buy expensive advertising. The Hook Model associates people’s emotions and routines with a product. Each of these products utilizes what Nir Eyal calls the Hook model. Why do we check Facebook every morning when we wake up, but people only use our product once? Hooked provides the psychology underpinning habits and how this applies to some of the most successful companies’ products. If you don’t already have the book, order the book or get the audiobook for free to learn the juicy details. Has Hooked been gathering dust on your bookshelf? Instead, pick up the key ideas now.

Nir eyal books