How does Pocket Ariely help you make sense of life?

Download App for AndroidDownload app Download App for iOSDownload app

Loss Aversion

Loss aversion is your tendency to prefer avoiding losses than to acquiring equivalent gains. Framing this title as an opportunity to avoid losing to Oscar, you are more likely to take the test.

Reference: Kahneman, D. & Tversky, A. (1992). "Advances in prospect theory: Cumulative representation of uncertainty". Journal of Risk and Uncertainty. 5 (4): 297–323. doi:10.1007/BF00122574.

Don’t lose to Oscar!

Take a quick 2-minute test to find out if Oscar beats you

Provincial Norms

Provincial norms are those defined as the norms of one's local setting and circumstances. By showing you how others in your situation have fared in the test, you may be more inclined to take the test.

Reference: Goldstein, N. J., Cialdini, R. B., & Griskevicius, V. (2008). A room with a viewpoint: Using social norms to motivate environmental conservation in hotels. Journal of Consumer Research, 35(3), 472-4

Oscar

Percentage of people who came to this website, took the test, and lost to Oscar.

0
%

What treasures does Pocket Ariely hold inside?

100+ videos

Watch

Watch

Shorts and Lectures

40+ podcasts

Listen

Listen

Podcasts and Radio

750+ articles

Read

Read

Articles and Blog Posts

10+ activities

Activities

Participate

Experiments and Games

Oscar
Download App for AndroidDownload app Download App for iOSDownload app

Fear of Missing Out

FoMO is the Fear Of Missing Out, and when you know people are enjoying things you are not, chances are you may take action and hopefully join them in having fun too

Reference: Hayran, C., Anik, L., & Gürhan-Canli, Z. (2017). Exploring the Antecedents and Consumer Behavioral Consequences of “Feeling of Missing Out (FOMO)”.

People who downloaded the app are having fun learning about…

Behavioral Econ & Psych.

Apply insights from social science to your own behavior and not only improve your decision-making process, but also avoid being called "irrational" by all the behavioral economists out there!

Feature

Behavioral Econ & Psych.

Feature

Productivity

Feature

Health

Feature

Morality

Feature

Finance

Feature

Romance

Feature

Emotion

Feature

Food & Drink

Feature

Generosity

Feature

Self-Control

Feature

Inequality

Feature

Pain

Don't take it from us, here's what people have to say about Pocket Ariely

Pocket Ariely has helped think differently about my relationship with my significant other. I've been married for a couple of years now, and we always ended up going out to the same places and falling under the same routine over and over again. However, that all changed when I saw Dan's video about maximizing a couple's happiness by having one person choose his or her favorite thing to do and taking turns over time. Now, I'm more willing to do activities that my partner wants to, and in return I also get to do things that otherwise would've been impossible in the past. Overall, we feel like we mix it up more than we did before, and that is great for our relationship.
Ana
I downloaded Pocket Ariely to find an alternative to other apps which absorb my time and attention without providing me with food for thought. I really enjoy watching videos and reading the articles, since I can keep learning how to tweak my behavior for the better. I also like knowing that my money goes towards helping researchers and science in general, it's a win-win.
Aditya
Download App for AndroidDownload app Download App for iOSDownload app

How will Pocket Ariely help you make sense of life?

1

Dunning-Kruger Effect

The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias of illusory superiority. You may not know as much as you think you do.

Reference: Kruger, Justin; Dunning, David (1999). "Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 77(6): 1121–34

(Help Others) Make Better Decisions

Of course we are not talking about you. Your decision-making skills are perfect. This is for a friend.

2

Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias tells us that we’re not going to change your mind. So here’s some evidence to support your pre-existing beliefs.

Reference: Nickerson, R. S. (1998). Confirmation bias: A ubiquitous phenomenon in many guises. Review of general psychology, 2(2), 175.

Impress Your Friends

You already have the right opinions, you just need some facts to back them up. You’re welcome.

3

Altruistic Bias

Why might you be inclined to help? It’s likely not purely altruistic — but there’s no shame in wanting that warm glow of giving.

Reference: Andreoni, J. (1990). Impure altruism and donations to public goods: A theory of warm-glow giving. The economic journal, 100(401), 464-477.

Give Science a Hand (or a Tap)

Help researchers unlock the human mind by participating in research studies.

Download App for AndroidDownload app Download App for iOSDownload app

Who are you helping out?

Who are you helping out?

Revenue from the app and raised awareness help advance research in behavioral sciences at the Center for Advanced Hindsight (CAH).

Identifiable Victim Effect

Now that you know one person who’s benefitted from downloading the app, you may want to download the app… like, now. This is called the Identifiable Victim Effect.

Reference: Jenni, K., & Loewenstein, G. (1997). Explaining the identifiable victim effect. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 14(3), 235-257.

Perception of Effort

It seems that you’re a tough one to convince, now that we have shown you that people are actually working on this, you may FINALLY decide to download the app (at least that’s what research says). Seriously, what does it take?

Reference: Bechwati, N. N., & Xia, L. (2003). Do computers sweat? The impact of perceived effort of online decision aids on consumers’ satisfaction with the decision process. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13(1-2), 139-148.

Hours the team has worked on Pocket Ariely

1988.1