This week’s must-reads: Quitting social media won’t make you happier

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!

Why an app with one million users failed (Smart Company)Carrot Rewards was a mobile wellness app that utilized behavioral economics and nudge theory to motivate and reward users for making better choices. The company filed for bankruptcy this year after failing to find an investor.

What Are the Biggest Mistakes People Make When Forming Habits (Quora) A behavior that requires you to think or exert effort is not a habit. People try to turn things like going to the gym into a “habit”. The problem is that they are trying to solve a problem with the wrong tool.

You Don’t Have to Quit Social Media (Forge) A newly published study shows that getting off of social media did not have any noticeable impact on people’s reported levels of general well-being and life satisfaction.

This Is Why You Can’t Stop Overspending (Medium) You’re burning cash to fulfill an unconscious need. Here’s how to stop the problem at it’s source.

Deep Sleep: What it Is, Benefits of It, How Much Do You Need & More (Whoop) Shortly after falling asleep, your body transitions from light sleep to deep sleep. This is the stage of sleep when your brainwaves are the slowest.

How to Control a Conversation Without Saying Much at All (Forge) Is there anything you can do when a conversation feels unbalanced, other than sit there and nod quietly until the whole spectacle is over? Is there a way to regain control?

Happy reading!

- Nir