Hooked Book Summary - Hooked Book explained in key points
Listen to the Intro
00:00

Hooked summary

Nir Eyal

How to Build Habit-Forming Products

4.6 (489 ratings)
21 mins
Table of Contents

    Hooked
    Summary of 10 key ideas

    Audio & text in the Blinkist app
    Key idea 1 of 10

    It’s difficult to change or replace established habits.

    Every New Year’s eve, people make resolutions to quit drinking, eat more healthily or get more exercise. When midnight strikes, we really are fully committed to making these changes.

    So why is it that on January fifth most of us find ourselves sitting on the couch munching chips and guzzling beer?

    Well, the short answer is that it’s due to our habits: activities we’ve become so accustomed to doing that we engage in them without much conscious thought.

    Habits emerge because our brain is eager to save time, so in most situations it will make us do whatever it was that worked last. For example, a habit of biting your nails when nervous probably emerged because your brain remembers that nail-biting once helped you release stress, so now you do it unconsciously.

    The trouble with habits is, it’s very difficult to permanently change them. In fact, research has shown that even if we change our routines, the neural pathways of the old habit remain intact in our brains and are very easily reactivated. This is illustrated by the fact that two thirds of alcoholics who finish a detox program start drinking again within a year.

    No wonder we have such trouble with a simple New Year’s resolution. So how can you possibly succeed in adopting a new habit?

    The easiest way is to repeat it frequently. One study showed that students who wanted to get into the habit of flossing their teeth regularly were more successful the more frequently they engaged in flossing.

    If it can’t be repeated often, the new habit has to be very useful to still be adopted successfully. Consider online retailer Amazon: Most people don’t use Amazon everyday, but shopping there still constitutes a habit for many of us, despite countless other online stores to choose from.

    Why?

    Amazon’s direct  price comparison between other retailers is so handy, that users make a habit out of shopping there even if it is only infrequently.

    Want to see all full key ideas from Hooked?

    Key ideas in Hooked

    More knowledge in less time
    Read or listen
    Read or listen
    Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
    Find your next read
    Find your next read
    Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
    Shortcasts
    Shortcasts New
    We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

    What is Hooked about?

    Hooked (2014) explains, through anecdotes and scientific studies, how and why we integrate certain products into our daily routines, and why such products are the Holy Grail for any consumer-oriented company. Hooked gives concrete advice on how companies can make their products habit-forming, while simultaneously exploring the moral issues that entails.

    Who should read Hooked?

    • Anyone who wants to understand how habits are formed
    • Anyone who wants to design a hugely successful product or enhance an existing one
    • Anyone who wants to understand how some products take advantage of our tendency to form habits

    About the Author

    Nir Eyal is a writer, teacher and consultant who has long advised start-ups and other businesses on designing successful products. He is the founder of two start-ups, both of which have since been acquired, and he contributes regularly to magazines like Forbes, TechCrunch and Psychology Today.

    Categories with Hooked

    Books like Hooked

    People ❤️ Blinkist
    Sven O.

    It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

    Thi Viet Quynh N.

    Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

    Jonathan A.

    Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

    Renee D.

    Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.

    People also liked

    Start growing with Blinkist now
    28 Million
    Downloads on all platforms
    4.7 Stars
    Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
    91%
    Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
    *Based on survey data from Blinkist customers
    Powerful ideas from top nonfiction

    Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.

    Start your free trial