The Hidden Levers of Human Behavior
Discover the invisible cognitive shortcuts and social dynamics that govern everyday choices. Learn how to frame decisions, defuse defensive reactions, and spot the psychological patterns that guide human interaction.
Like Duolingo, but for The Hidden Levers of Human Behavior. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
A short one: 12 levels across 2 sections, about 24 minutes end to end, roughly 5 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Shaping Decisions in the Moment and Reading Resistance and Cognitive Shortcuts. It starts from scratch.
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Key ideas in The Hidden Levers of Human Behavior
- The first number someone sees acts as a mental reference point that pulls subsequent estimates toward it
- Even when an initial number is arbitrary or irrelevant, people fail to adjust far enough away from it
- Higher suggested starting points consistently produce higher average contributions or price estimates
- People judge choices based on whether they are framed as potential losses or potential gains relative to their current state
- The pain of losing something feels roughly twice as intense psychologically as the pleasure of gaining the equivalent amount
- Negative framing naturally triggers risk aversion and caution compared to positive framing
- Adding an option that is clearly inferior to one target option makes the target look like a bargain by comparison
- A decoy priced just below a premium option makes the premium option feel like an obvious, high-value upgrade
- Decoys shift decision-making from absolute value evaluation to pairwise comparison
- Having too many options initially draws attention but overwhelms the brain, leading to decision paralysis
- Narrowing visible choices reduces mental effort and makes committing to a final decision much easier
- Giving people an explicit positive label triggers a psychological desire to act consistently with that identity
- Framing the nature of an interaction (e.g., 'collaborative' vs. 'competitive') sets subconscious norms for cooperation
- Merely stating neutral, descriptive data does not prime social behavior or identity
- Unsolicited gifts trigger a feeling of social indebtedness before any request is made
- A favor feels more compelling when it seems personal and given with no explicit strings attached
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives The Hidden Levers of Human Behavior the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
Someone spins a random game wheel and lands on 90, then tries to guess the price of a fancy jacket. What happens?
Get it right to open this lesson and 11 more in the app.
Where The Hidden Levers of Human Behavior takes you
- 1
Shaping Decisions in the Moment
- Framing and Anchoring: Setting the Invisible Boundaries
- Reciprocity and Micro-Commitments: Building Buy-in Step by Step
- 2
Reading Resistance and Cognitive Shortcuts
- Psychological Reactance: Neutralizing Defensiveness
- Cognitive Biases: Navigating the Brain's Default Shortcuts
2 sections · 4 units · 12 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
The Hidden Levers of Human Behavior is taught in the Explain Like I'm 5 style: no big words. promise.. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start The Hidden Levers of Human Behavior today.
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