This week’s must-reads: Habit Trackers: How They Work and How to Use Them

In my work as a behavioral designer, I come across important stories on how psychology influences our behavior. Every week, I share my round-up of the most important stories at the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. I hope you enjoy them!

Free Habit Tracker Template — Use This Sleek Google Doc (NirAndFar) The drive to improve is why tools that enable us to track our behaviors are so gratifying. One of those tools is the habit tracker.

I Changed My Mind About Saying ‘Merry Christmas,’ and You Should Too [AUDIO] (Podcast) I recently changed my mind about “Merry Christmas”. I no longer see it as insensitive, and I don’t mind when people say it.

This is your brain on obsession (Vox) Obsession is more than a cultural phenomenon — it’s part of our brain chemistry, and part of what it means to be human.

The Kid Surveillance Complex Locks Parents in a Trap (WIRED) Minute-by-minute, footstep-by-footstep tracking of children is all to easy and enticing. But everyone’s a prisoner in the parental panopticon.

How Practical Wisdom Helps Us Cope with Radical Uncertainty
(Behavioral Scientist) We are, more than ever, longing for certainty and an end to the maze of unanswerable questions.

When all looks bleak, hope-building strategies offer a lifeline (PSYCHE) For hope to take hold, it must resonate with the person’s lived reality.

Happy reading!

- Nir