Short YouTube clip (May 23, 2024) where Nir Eyal explains how the Hook Model underpins the Sunnyside app. He maps the Hook cycle: internal trigger (uncertainty about drinking limits) → action (open app) → variable reward (feedback on committed drink count) → investment (logging actual drinks), which creates a reinforcing loop for future behavior.
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So I'm curious, though, because you mentioned, you know, they incorporated Hook model into Sunnyside, and I'd love to know about, like, the core concept of the hook model and, you know, why it works with Sunnyside.
So the hook model starts with an internal trigger. We talked about those uncomfortable emotional states and how they drive all our behavior. So whether it's a good habit or a bad habit, in this case, the good habit is that when you are about to drink, the internal trigger is uncertainty around, how much can I drink? How much did I say I was going to drink? So the internal trigger is that uncertainty. You open the app. That's the action phase of the Hook. Just open the app. The variable reward is telling you how much did you commit to drinking in that day? And then the investment is inputting what did you actually do? And then that loads the next trigger through the cycle next time. So if you say, on this night, I'm going to have this many drinks.