The hottest Behavior Change Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Health & Wellness Topics

conflict is the art of checking underneath the rocks

bookbear express ā€¢ 220 implied HN points ā€¢ 23 Mar 26
šŸ„ Health & Wellness Behavior Change
  1. Avoidance usually comes from a fear of conflict, and facing friction directly is how you unblock creativity and actually get things done.
  2. Avoidance often follows three stagesā€”delusion, knowing you should act but feeling stuck, then finally doing itā€”and recognizing these stages helps you break the cycle.
  3. Choosing honesty and being willing to endure some awkwardness to ā€˜check under the rocksā€™ leads to better decisions, faster processing, and fewer long-term limits from avoided problems.

Pledge Drive

Astral Codex Ten ā€¢ 18032 implied HN points ā€¢ 17 Dec 25
šŸ“– Philosophy Behavior Change
  1. Make a specific, binding pledge to give a fixed percent of your income; that turns vague good intentions into steady, automatic donations and removes the guilt and indecision of one-off appeals.
  2. Money is often the most effective way for most people to change the world, and giving a committed share of your income to highly effective charities can save many lives or have outsized impact compared with small personal sacrifices or online activism.
  3. If youā€™re unsure, start small with a trial percentage and register the pledge publicly; committing externally helps you stick to your plan and lets you ignore most fundraiser asks.

how to help someone change without going crazy

bookbear express ā€¢ 688 implied HN points ā€¢ 19 Jan 26
šŸ„ Health & Wellness Behavior Change
  1. Change depends on a personā€™s nervous system capacity and sense of safety, not on how well you explain things. You canā€™t force someone to change if theyā€™re frozen by fear or guilt.
  2. Donā€™t assume you can make someone change or build plans that rely on big shifts; ask if they want to change and if they want your help, and keep clear boundaries to avoid codependency.
  3. Pay attention to patterns, feelings, and implicit relationship contracts more than spoken reasons; look for consistency and self-awareness as signs of readiness, and gently name underlying emotions rather than arguing about mental content.

Self-Help Tactics That Are Working For Me

Rough Diamonds ā€¢ 62 implied HN points ā€¢ 08 Jan 26
šŸ„ Health & Wellness Behavior Change
  1. Guilt often comes from fear of other people's disapproval, not from some innate low self-worth. Using graded exposureā€”imagining or facing mild disapproval and practicing tolerance for praiseā€”helps that fear burn out.
  2. Vivid positive visualization is practical motor planning: mentally rehearse difficult or important moments going well to boost confidence and beat procrastination.
  3. Stop waiting for a mythical Godā€™sā€‘eye verdict; set reasonable firstā€‘person standards and do honest selfā€‘evaluations so you can measure progress and legitimately feel proud.
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The Dynamically Priced City

The New Urban Order ā€¢ 199 implied HN points ā€¢ 11 Mar 24
šŸ’¼ Business Behavior Change
  1. Dynamic pricing can help businesses like Amtrak optimize revenue and manage unsold inventory effectively.
  2. Cities are considering implementing dynamic pricing to influence behavior, reduce congestion, and increase revenue for public services like transportation.
  3. Dynamic pricing could be a valuable tool for businesses, nonprofits, and public sectors to adapt to post-pandemic economic challenges and maximize revenue.

Well Being: Walking to Improve Sexual Health and Satisfaction

Who is Robert Malone ā€¢ 17 implied HN points ā€¢ 14 Jan 26
šŸ„ Health & Wellness Behavior Change
  1. Regular walking lowers your risk of death and adds years to your life, and even short daily walks (about 10ā€“15 minutes) provide meaningful benefits.
  2. Walking boosts sexual health and satisfaction by improving blood flow, hormones, metabolism, and mood, and can noticeably help erectile function and arousal for both men and women.
  3. Make walking a lasting habit by starting very small, tying walks to existing routines, prioritizing consistency over intensity, and using enjoyable, low-pressure strategies like light tracking or walking with others.

TBM 320: From Fluffy Concepts to Concrete Outcomes & Behaviors

The Beautiful Mess ā€¢ 555 implied HN points ā€¢ 10 Nov 24
šŸ’¼ Business Behavior Change
  1. It's important to translate vague concepts into specific behaviors. Instead of saying you want to be 'data-driven,' describe actual actions that show you are doing this.
  2. Discussing behaviors as a team can spark valuable conversations and help everyone understand what needs to change. It allows people to share experiences and ideas in a meaningful way.
  3. When trying to improve team actions, focus on what gets in the wayā€”like training gaps or social pressures. Identifying these barriers helps create better strategies for change.

The Magic You're Looking For Is in the Work You're Avoiding

The Caring Techie Newsletter ā€¢ 10 implied HN points ā€¢ 22 Jan 26
šŸ„ Health & Wellness Behavior Change
  1. The transformation you wantā€”confidence, progress, and fulfillmentā€”usually lives in the specific work you keep avoiding.
  2. We avoid that work because avoidance protects us from vulnerability: fear of success, fear of happiness, and fear of wanting what we might lose or fail at.
  3. To close the gap between potential and results you must do the uncomfortable practice, failed attempts, and repetition youā€™re skipping; real progress comes from showing up and doing the work.

Quick Guide: Will Weight Loss Improve/Cure This Health Condition?

Weight and Healthcare ā€¢ 379 implied HN points ā€¢ 03 Dec 22
šŸ„ Health & Wellness Behavior Change
  1. Weight loss may not necessarily improve health conditions; health changes may stem from behavior changes instead.
  2. Unintentional weight loss or weight loss through methods like liposuction may not lead to the same health benefits as intentional weight loss.
  3. The presence of a health issue in thin individuals suggests that weight loss might not always be the solution; alternative treatments beyond weight loss exist.

Quick Guide to Evaluating Weight Science Research

Weight and Healthcare ā€¢ 439 implied HN points ā€¢ 17 Sep 22
šŸ„ Health & Wellness Behavior Change
  1. When evaluating weight science research, look for the original source and check if it is peer-reviewed for credibility.
  2. Examine who funded the study and the researchers' affiliations for potential biases.
  3. For weight loss claims, consider factors like dropout rates, actual weight lost, and the duration of follow-up to critically assess the study's conclusions.

Transcript: Wellness Expert Michael Easter Answers My Questions About Health

Are You Okay? ā€¢ 159 implied HN points ā€¢ 28 Aug 23
šŸ„ Health & Wellness Behavior Change
  1. In a comfortable world, avoiding discomfort for health can lead to unhealthy habits like overeating and lack of movement.
  2. Technology has enabled us to fulfill our cravings easily, leading to challenges in recognizing when we have 'enough'.
  3. Understanding the 'why' behind bad habits is essential for changing them; replacing bad habits with good ones without addressing the root cause is like hitting the gas with your foot still on the brake.

Why We Fail to Change

The Leadership Lab ā€¢ 78 implied HN points ā€¢ 16 Apr 23
šŸ’¼ Business Behavior Change
  1. Behavior change fails when we target outcomes that do not truly align with our desires. Adjust goals if they do not feel right.
  2. Change can be hindered when more immediate needs take precedence. Focus on addressing foundational needs first before pursuing higher aspirations.
  3. Uncertainty can impede behavior change, even when all other elements seem aligned. Find and believe in a reliable process to facilitate change.

The 5-10% Weight Loss Lie - Part 2

Weight and Healthcare ā€¢ 259 implied HN points ā€¢ 08 Dec 21
šŸ„ Health & Wellness Behavior Change
  1. Weight loss doesn't necessarily lead to greater health. Behavior changes and health improvements may happen simultaneously.
  2. Fitness and mobility improvements are often wrongly attributed to weight loss. Programs and effort play a significant role.
  3. Confidence changes attributed to weight loss might be societal conditioning. Weight loss doesn't guarantee long-term success and can lead to giving up on other goals.

LSW#20 šŸŽ­Acting into New Ways of Thinking

The Leading Sapiens Weekly ā€¢ 40 implied HN points ā€¢ 03 Apr 23
šŸ„ Health & Wellness Behavior Change
  1. Action can often be easier than changing your mindset or waiting to feel ready before taking action.
  2. Focusing on the verb (action) is often more within our control and judgment-free than focusing on the noun (mindset).
  3. Acting your way into a new way of thinking can lead to growth and learning, even if it feels uncomfortable at first.

Once You Get the Message, Hang Up the Phone

As If We Were Staying ā€¢ 3 HN points ā€¢ 04 Sep 24
šŸŽ­ļø Culture Behavior Change
  1. Social media often creates a false sense of accomplishment, making us feel like we are active in activism without actually making real change. We can get caught up in online outrage instead of doing the hard work needed in real life.
  2. Real change requires us to align our actions with our values and make sacrifices. Itā€™s about focusing on long-term goals, which often arenā€™t flashy or fun, but important for making a real impact.
  3. We need to recognize that social media can be entertaining but is not a substitute for deep, meaningful community engagement. True activism happens offline and requires commitment and clarity about what we want to change.

The New Year's Resolution Cliff

The Healthtech Initiative ā€¢ 0 implied HN points ā€¢ 05 Jan 26
šŸ„ Health & Wellness Behavior Change
  1. Most people quit their newā€‘year sleep resolutions almost immediately ā€” 60% stop within 48 hours and the median streak is one day, with under 3% lasting beyond five days.
  2. People who kept up the changes at first actually slept worse shortā€‘term: they went to bed earlier and tracked routines more, yet their time to fall asleep rose to about 26+ minutes.
  3. Trying harder often makes sleep worse, so the common New Yearā€™s resolution approach to ā€˜optimizeā€™ sleep is counterproductive and needs a different framework.

Information provision and individual response

Joshua Gans' Newsletter ā€¢ 0 implied HN points ā€¢ 15 Jan 21
šŸ„ Health & Wellness Behavior Change
  1. People's knowledge about COVID-19 symptoms and transmission mechanisms influenced their adoption of risk mitigation measures like mask-wearing and social distancing.
  2. Government actions such as messaging, mask mandates, and lockdowns played a significant role in changing behavior, with noticeable differences in behavior between countries with and without these measures.
  3. While knowledge was associated with increased protective measures, adoption of social distancing practices was not sufficient, indicating that other factors may influence this behavior.