I invented Pavlok, a wearable device that shocks you if you waste time on Facebook/Reddit. Also, it helps you form good habits and break bad habits. It was even featured on Colbert! AMA

Why reddit? :( I personally feel reddit has a lot of interesting things/discussions/news, at least far more than facebook, pinterest, twitter, tumblr, etc does...

It's open to any website you want to train! It's about breaking bad habits.

You're able to choose the websites you want to block, and a time limit for them as well---then it will vibrate and beep to let you know you are approaching a time limit before potentially shocking you

Does it work for porn?

absolutely!

It's about breaking the habit. Often, when we sit down to use the computer, our hands reach for the keyboard and type 'reddit' or 'pornhub' without even thinking about it. What is happening is a habit --- and automatic motion that the brain does without thinking. By adding shock (or beeping) we can add awareness and halt the bad habit from ever starting.

Very powerful for things like nail-biting, porn, etc.

My fridge beeps if it's left open for longer than a minute or two. I just swear at it and keep looking for the leftover pizza I know I put in there yesterday. Now, if it gave me an electric shock....

We are going to integrate with sticker sensors to vibrate/beep/shock you if you open your cabinent or fridge door out of habit! Texting your phone 'are you sure'

It it starts to vibrate when you're looking at porn, I can see a lot of people using it to enhance their porn viewing experience.

that's called PavCok

So basically, you could train yourself to finish in 60 seconds if you stuck with it long enough?

Isn't that what the teenage years are for? Prepare yourself for all the extra time you need for other things as an adult.

why

If it works for nail-biting, could you make it shock me when I start messing with my hair? I think it goes past being a habit and falls into the tic category.

Yea! We are trying to implement hand motion as our sensor data --- so you can conceivably vibrate when you mindlessly eat, also.

how is it supposed to know if im biting my nails though

accelerometer in the device measures hand motion

How do you ensure the tech gets people off sites instead of just increasing their pain tolerance when they deal with it to keep browsing.

Thissss is what i was wondering... i think it might condition me more depending on how big the shock is... i mean if its like sticking jumper cables to your nipples, than yeah... i prolly wont smoke pot much after that if i know its the direct consequence.... but if the shock is just lightly jarring like a 9volt on ya tongue or a trick gum prank thing, i would get addicted to getting shocked i think

Because you realize it's not worth it to go to the site whenyou don't WANT to go --- you are simply habituated to doing it. The shock adds awareness and a minor deterrent

Can you adapt this for nicotine addictions?

It already works, with self-employed shock. See here: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s10/sh/5be8d7e7-d562-4a45-9e9c-06592392f16a/a13c917edb3f3e4f092bc741ea49b098

Correction: It was mocked on Colbert. Did you seriously think your product was "featured" or are you just being overly optimistic for the sake of trying to put some kind of positive marketing spin on the negative press you're receiving?

I wouldn't say it's negative---it's colbert. And he asked us to send him a unit afterwards, too

So, are you aware of the research indicating that aversive control is not as effective as most other behavior management practices (for instance, rewarding incompatible behaviors)

What is your background?

What is your background?

The kind of background that makes a product a pun on classical (Pavlovian) conditioning but a product based on operant (BF Skinner) conditioning.

Classical conditioning to break bad habits. If I shock you at the moment you drink sugar/smoke a cigarette, your brain associates the pain of shock with the taste of sugar/cigs and stops desiring to do the action at all. It's associative conditioning.

Classical conditioning refers to pairing an unconditioned response with a conditioned stimulus. Like when Pavlov rang a bell (conditioned stimulus) to which his dogs would salivate (unconditioned response) because the bell preceeded feeding.

Operant conditioning is the other way around, where a behavior is changed through consequences. This is what you have set up. I do something bad and I get schocked.

The main point though, is that punishment is not the most effective way to change behavior, as said above.

Source: worked in a behavioral lab for 3 years.

Edit: spelling.

yes pairing shock with the automatic act of reaching for reddit or a cinnabon adds an aversion element.

That said, it's just a name. I debate often about whether it's classical or operant, but at the end of the day, the behavior changes --- and that's what counts.

But its easier to tell when you're doing something and react, rather than to figure out when you've actively chosen not to do something

Yea it seems like rewards that are worthwhile would be hard to pin down. We're not dogs, a pat on the head or a treat isn't gonna cut it.

You can win real money! Would that motivate you?

What about a competition with friends, where you bet and win money or shocks from each other?

I like this idea. I would buy this if it had such a feature. Could do like a 'whoever smokes a cigarette first' bet, etc.

it has this feature. in fact our app (released before our wristband comes out) will allow you to form new habits without the wristband, using bets

Fair enough, but our device is a part of an ecosystem. We use skinner positive and negative reinforcement to help you FORM habits. See here: https://www.bulletproofexec.com/heres-how-to-change-your-habits/

What if I start getting some masochistic pleasure from the shocks? Wouldn't that be an epic fail?

You want PavCok

Do you have any degree or special experience in the field of conditioning and psychology?

I studied under BJ Fogg in the persuasive technology field at stanford, and I was a keynote speaker at the Royal Society of Medicine on behavior change.

Then you probably are aware that aversion therapy is not very effective ?

I mean. It is primarily used to stop an impulsive behavior.

Which may have been conditioned previously, but also may be more a product of biology- depending on which perspectives you agree with.

Don't you think a program designed to limit your time by a timer that then blocks the FB would be more effective?

I guess in my studies, aversion therapy has not been show as an effective long term way of conditioning.

I think your idea is nice in theory, but not necessarily practical.

It's VERY powerful for smoking addiction. See: http://schickshadel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Commercial_Stop_Smoking_Program.pdf

Summary: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s10/sh/5be8d7e7-d562-4a45-9e9c-06592392f16a/a13c917edb3f3e4f092bc741ea49b098

Of course it did. Because that is on taste aversion. Taste aversion is a whole different game.

The ability for a conditioning to affect taste preference is crazy high compared to pretty much anything else.

A person can develop a life long conditioned response to a one time trial with the tasted item paired with a bad experience.

Even response time can be really long and a strong taste aversion conditioning will still occur.

It doesn't follow the other rules of Pavlovian conditioning.

It was cigarette addiction.

And cigarettes don't have a taste?

The study was done in the early 70s. They obviously did not take into account the taste variable.

The only way to determine that taste aversion was not the primary way the conditioning occurred would be to do the aversions with either a fake cigarette that had no taste (including the taste of the paper)

Or only do the aversion conditioning for the other step behaviors and not the behavior of adding to the mouth.

It's done today at the Shick Schadel Treatment facility.

I used it on myself for Facebook addiction. It trained me to stop automatically sitting down on my laptop and using facebook. Breaking an automatic action via adding awareness and consequences.

Its kind of the nicotine and not the taste people are addicted to and cant quit.

But the aversion therapy is effective because it works on the taste aspect of the smoking habit.

Trust me. I know what I'm talking about.

You do the same method with a heroine addict, you will not be seeing any valuable results.

Except the Shick Schadel center does treat heroin addicts: http://schickshadel.com/addiction-treatment-programs/heroin-addiction-treatment/

A person can develop a life long conditioned response to a one time trial with the tasted item paired with a bad experience.

I once ate Captain Crunch while watching people chow down on buffalo testicles on Fear Factor. No more Captain Crunch for the last 12 years. (King Vitamin is still my homeboy, though.)

Yeah. Taste aversion is crazy hardcore.

Theories suggest it works that way because it's a good survival mechanism.

You don't want to eat something that could kill you. The first association of a taste with nausea and its banned for life.

You know, I wonder why alcohol doesn't seem to follow the rules of taste aversion. Perhaps the alcohol itself inhibits the conditioning to take place.

Someone should do some study on that.

I also feel like alcohol numbs my taste sensation a bit too. So it could be multiple factors.

Alcohol can be used for taste aversion. It's conditioned with ethanol but it works well. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091305799001045

that said, aversion therapy is used ONLY for breaking bad habits. For forming new habits, we use a microhabit system (detailed here: https://www.bulletproofexec.com/heres-how-to-change-your-habits/ )

Did you make studies on the actual power of this sort of device and how/if can really change habits? Is there place around our hands for more? Bracelets, watches, smartwatches, phones. Omg, we are turning into humandroids and iHumans.

Yes! We did testing with 235 people in our Facebook group before unveiling the app. We discovered a secret to habit change that involves both negative and positive reinforcement, plus something I call microhabits. I'm happy to explain habit formation if you're interested!

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cool. For the others, here are some resources:

Here's how to change your habits (bulletproof executive blog): https://www.bulletproofexec.com/heres-how-to-change-your-habits/

Forget learning a language. Focus on "forming the habit": www.fluentin3months.com/forming-the-habit/

The Pavlok ebook with case studies and more: https://www.dropbox.com/s/hw3xpywsbzd9ixg/Pavlok%20eBook%20--%20Habit%20Change%20Theory%20and%20Practice.pdf

So, if I were to use this, could it help me stop my masturbation habit? How would it even know to shock me for that?

You can set it to vibrate / shock you / post on your facebook wall whenever you log onto a porn site.

This is the greatest thing ever.

thank you :) Hope you get one! http://pavlok.com/igg

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but also, the most important thing we are adding is precommitment. When you log in with IFTTT, you can cheat at any other time. With us, you precommit --- and we knowif you're cheating. Take off the wrist band, and you'll be charged money (that goes to the people who succeeded). It's a proven system

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and beeminder integrates with us, we are partnering to add real haptic feedback --- not just penalties that don't directly stimulate the brain.

It's been proven extremely effective.

Modulating vibration, piezo beeping --- the haptic feedback is as powerful too

If you're wearing the device, did you get shocked doing this AMA?

Yes!!

There have to be some legal hurdles to releasing a product specifically designed to shock people. What, if any, hoops did you have to jump through in order to prove the device was safe?

Actually, our voltage/current is far below the legal limit, so there wasn't much to do on that end

Define below the legal limit. Any device that directly applies electricity to the body as part of it's intended functionality is exceptionally tightly controlled by the FDA. Do you have yourself a legal team?

2 mAmps

Did you have experience with designing products before? If not, how did you go about prototyping? Can you talk a little about that process?

I didn't have experience --- but I had a crazy prototype (dog collar). Sent it to an incubator called Bolt (http://bolt.io) who decided to invest in our company and help me build it. Took me to china, set up a meeting with my now-cofounder (Jim Lynch, original inventor of the LEGO Mindstorms and Senior engineer on the Roomba)

Now, I know more about hardware than ever before

Seems like an awesome gadget... I ordered one myself and can't wait for it to arrive :)

When are they supposed to ship out?

Shipping out in spring/summer 2015! Thanks so much for getting one! Which habit would you use it on?

What was the best/worst part? Also what inspired you to peruse this?

Worst part of what? I'm extremely ADHD so I set out to create a device to help me solve my own problems

Have you considered marketing for the Pavlok to the kink community? Could be huge!

GREAT idea

i just watched the colbert segment on your device, i wouldn't think you would want to link it as it quite obviously mocks the idea as absurd...?

smart. I linked to our press pickup instead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl0TAryKRC0&list=UUOyAOAJyIsvXOlL5rwSXI-Q

Who are some of the experts in the field of Behavioral Psychology that influenced the design of Pavlok?

BJ Fogg in particular --- Persuasive Technology Professor at Stanford and my old professor.

Dan Ariely and Roy Baumeister contributed a lot to my understanding as well.

What addictions were/are you facing that prompted you to invent a zapper?

Facebook usage, not writing my daily todos (and doing them) and fitness

Hi there Maneesh, I was just browsing around on Reddit for a few hours and came across this OUCH this AMA. My question is, do you look down upon people who use your OOOOHH device as a masochistic form of pleasure rather than an OW rather than its intended use?

i'm all for you using it however you want! it's an open API

What if my bad habit is taking off pavlock because it keeps shocking me and I want a pizza?

it charges you money if you precommited to it.

This look cool but as a college student I can't spend that much money on a zappy wristband. Is it going to be lowered after release? Or is there going to be a test study on students grades?

The price will increase!

How was the audience's response?

The audience? So far we have > 500 backers and $112,000 on IndieGogo, so not bad so far!

Does that thing tell the time? I need a new watch, so if this told time I would seriously look into it.

The current version won't, but in the future we may add a screen!

This version is modular so you can put it anywhere on your body

You guys should seriously add a screen! Watch-only wearers would suddenly take a major interest.

This version can be mounted anywhere on your body. We are planning a Pavlok Pro that might have a screen!

How was your experience at Stanford university?

It was good! I traveled abroad for 2.5 years during it.

Hey, I know you're getting eaten alive in here but remember this is the power of anonymity. You are going to get the most honest and powerful feedback. It's a cool idea, but it seems like there isn't enough to back up your claims-- At least not from what you presented. My question: where is the research? Like, the big numbers, not 200 or so people from a Facebook group? And "microhabits?" It sounds like you took tips from a scientologist. How effective is it? What were the results of the small sample on Facebook anyhow? I'm not trying to come across as a dick, but this seems so ill-prepared. I'd love if you'd enlighten me on your product, because as of now there just doesn't seem like there's any concrete proof that your product works. Thanks for doing this AMA, it really is an interesting idea. The last thing I'd like to see this for the Pavlok to never get a chance, especially if there is research that backs it up.

80% commitment rate. Here is a similar study using Stickk, which models what we are doing. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/sunday-review/new-years-resolutions-stick-when-willpower-is-reinforced.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

"The more you precommit, the better you do, according to stickK’s analysis of 125,000 contracts over the past three years. The success rate for people who don’t name a referee or set financial stakes is only 29 percent, but it rises to 59 percent when there’s a referee and to 71.5 percent when there’s money at stake. And when a contract includes a referee and financial stakes, the success rate is nearly 80 percent."

Our success ranges around 80% with ACTUAL accountability.

Right, but this article is about 2 years old and doesn't directly involve your product. I understand the significance of precommittment, but where does the Pavlok come in? Again, I'm genuinely asking, I am not trying to come across as brash. I'm curious in this product but it just doesn't seem very concrete.

For example, If I wanted to condition myself to spend less time on the computer (gaming, browsing reddit, watching streams/videos, etc.), according to this article I have a higher chance at succeeding if I precommit (which already sounds obvious) and even higher if it threatens my finances, correct? Or am I understanding this article incorrectly?

I guess what I'm trying to get at is this: you're an entrepreneur-- why do I need your product? I'm talking specifically your product. Why is your product the best way to break habits?

Here's the video! http://youtu.be/D2S7AfOudUU

I recorded a video for you! Arriving soon.

Any future projects in the pipeline?

lotsssss

Would this be able to be used as an alarm clock?

yep!

Thanks! If only for that, maybe I will get it... It's awfully difficult for me to wake up, or remember certain things that must be done at certain times every day (like taking medicine, or clocking out for lunch and clocking in after lunch).

YES! I used it on myself for medicine. I had to take antibiotics 4x/day for 10 days. So I strapped a pill pouch on my wristband and it vibrated 4x/day --- and i grabbed it, and took the pill!

Would this work for smoking habits? If so, how?

Yes! Aversion training to break smoking addiction

Yes! See here: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s10/sh/5be8d7e7-d562-4a45-9e9c-06592392f16a/a13c917edb3f3e4f092bc741ea49b098

Self administered electric shock, for as little as 15 mins each time you do an action, can help your brain stop desiring to do the action. Eventually, we will track arm motion and potentially even tobacco in the air content.

Have you ever read 'Quitters, Inc.' by Stephen King?

No! Tell me about it. What is it?

How often do people show you this link on the internet? =)

Serious question: What is the difference between using an electrical shock and say, having me pinch myself really hard when I pick up a cigarette? Isn't pain all the same?

Semi serious suggestion: You should sell these in pairs and allow couples to activate each other's shock collars. It would be hilarious.

Pain is the same! We are just automating it.

We are DEFINITELY doing couple packs --- get the two pack at http://pavlok.com/igg

asdasdq

YES

What activities aren't a waste of time? I'm trying to decide what to do with my life.

Keystone habits are the best! Here's a post coming up soon: Proper Sleep

Keystone Habit: Proper sleep involves two habits --- getting to sleep on time, and waking up on time. If you sleep and wake at the same time every day, you can improve your daily energy levels and hormone levels. Sleep researchers agree that generally speaking, 7-9 hours of rest is what the human body requires to function at its peak.

Accessory Habits: Proper sleep improves energy levels, and helps you form habits like exercise, a morning routine, and ability to turn off distractions.

Why it matters: Getting a full night’s rest “trickles down” to every other aspect of your day because sleep replenishes your willpower. You get to start your day well rested and mentally alert. Getting adequate rest (7-9 hour/night) keeps your metabolism functioning normally, protects your immune health so that you don’t get sick, and allows you to function at peak levels in the gym.

Morning Routine

Keystone Habit: The morning routine is a consistent set of actions you do every morning.

Related habits: Brushing, flossing, eating breakfast, getting enough sleep, having time to get to the gym, getting to work on time.

Why it matters: Your morning routine is the first habit you follow every day. You may not realize it, but you already have a morning routine of sorts --- for example, you always brush, or always take a shower, or always choose new clothes.

Because it’s already there, you can use it as an anchor to sling along other habits.

For example, if you already brush, you can use that as a trigger to floss. Or, as a trigger to do squats in the mirror while brushing. You can begin to connect habits, step by step, until your routine is automatic.

I realized that if I could create a list of things I wanted to do --- and make my goal habit ‘execute the entire morning routine’ --- I could form multiple habits at the same time. I call this chunking.

My Morning Routine --- this piece of paper has lasted 5 months.

Hydration

Keystone Habit: Drink enough water throughout the day

Related Habits: Healthy eating, exercise, proper sleep

Why it matters: How much water do you drink on a daily basis? If you’re like most people, not nearly enough. It’s easy to think that you’re drinking enough because you had a few glasses of water, a cup of coffee and a glass of wine with dinner — but this isn’t true. In fact, most people think they’re hydrated because they don’t feel “thirsty.” But did you know that oftentimes, the body can misinterpret thirst signals from the brain as hunger? Next time you’re hungry, try drinking a glass of water instead.

I like to buy a gallon jug and try to drink at least half of it every day. The visual representation helps me keep track of how much water I’m really getting.

Mediation

Keystone habit: Daily meditation

Related habits: Proper sleep, morning routine, ability to quiet that talking voice in your head, prefrontal cortex stimulation

Why it matters: Meditation is one of the lowest energy, highest ROI habits we can create. At its core, meditation allows you to escape the never ending reptile-brain conversation in your head and master your subconcious---leading to a MUCH better chance of success in all other habits.

We’ve heard over and over that we should do it. So why don’t we? Most people get overly ambitious from the very beginning and try to channel their inner zen for 30 minutes at a time, or don’t know how to get started without guidance.

I HIGHLY recommend the Headspace app, which will quickly teach you how to meditate with guided meditations.

Focus on your breathing and become aware of the sensations in your body, as well as what’s going on around you. Work on focusing deeply for short bursts, then gradually expand your practice.

Exercise

Which Keystone Habit: Exercising consistently

Related Habits: Proper sleep, good nutrition, proper hydration morning routine

Why it matters: Exercise is the most studied of keystone habits for a reason: It helps everything else become more solidified. A healthy body not only encourages you to fuel your body with the right nutrients — but good workouts will also help you sleep better at night.

Keeping a healthy body increases your energy, stabilizes your mood and allows you to recover from sickness and injury much more quickly.

A bonus to scheduling exercise every day is that if forces you to “block” your day into discrete units of “before” and “after” the gym — which helps you to plan your day better.

Walking 10,000 steps per day

Which Keystone Habit: Getting outside the office and walking around — at least 10,000 steps every day

Related habits: Exercise, Meditation, Health (vitamin D)

Why it matters: Constant sitting, combined with the cramped posture many of us are forced to adopt for desk jobs, puts wear and tear on the skeletal system. Humans are made to remain in motion.

Getting 10,000 steps (roughly 1.5 miles) a day isn’t as hard as it sounds when you factor in walking around the office. But it’s even better if you can get outside, away from the overhead lighting. It will help you feel better, refocus and get your brain back on track. It’s HIGHLY correlated with decreased chance of heart disease, diabetes, and other lifestyle diseases.

Quitting sugar

Which Keystone Habit: Reducing or eliminating processed/excess sugar

Related habits: Healthy eating, hydration, exercise, proper sleep

Why it matters: The American diet is F’d up.

For years, we feed ourselves incredible amounts of processed carbohydrates, laced with high fat...and we wonder why we’re always tired and never feel like exercising. The truth is, reducing the amount of sugar you eat on a daily basis won’t just help you lose weight — it will also greatly improve your energy levels by balancing insulin.

Start eating more nutrient dense, whole foods — and add in some healthy fats. Watch your energy soar, and your weight drop.

Now here’s the real question: Just because you know which habits are the most important, does that mean you can actually change them?

The truth is, habit change is not some elusive secret known to only a select few. Nor is it something that you’re born with. Habit change is a simple scientific process that uses personal psychology to modify behavior and give anyone the results they are seeking. To learn more about how you can rewire your own brain to not only build new habits, but also break old ones, check out Pavlok.

Do you have a genitals model?

pavcok

How do you take your coffee?

With butter and MCT oil!

Keto rules!

It does :)

You need something like this that reacts to food choices, I would buy that for lots of money.

What prompted you to create something like this?

I got the idea from an experiment: http://hackthesystem.com/blog/why-i-hired-a-girl-on-craigslist-to-slap-me-in-the-face-and-why-it-quadrupled-my-productivity/

later on i said "Wait i should make a device shock me instead of hiring a slapper every time I use Facebook."

From the simplest of sources comes brilliance, apparently. My hats off to you and... like I said... you need to figure out how to make this thing react to food choices. ;-)

We can in the next few years! Experimental tooth sensors that know what is passing through your teeth. Supposedly our accelerometer can detect chewing as well, although we haven't programmed it out yet

Does this also work for sleeping? I have a bad habit of sleeping in class and would like to break that.

Yes! https://www.dropbox.com/s/r5siijzysbh014m/PAVLOK_WAKE_UP_ON_TIME_LAYOUT.jpg?dl=0

Vibrate to wake up, shock if you hit snooze

I meant more along the lines does it detect if I am sleeping and then it shocks me.

our current model will likely need to be put in sleep mode, but our future versions (with heart rate monitors) will know automatically if you sleep

Hello there!

You say it'll work on Android and iOS users. Will it also work for BlackBerry users ? Fellow candian asking the question.

Thanks!

Not yet

One question and one question only, can I have one to review how awesome it is?

We don't have any more review versions --- but get one and we guarantee you'll love it :)

Why isn't Pavlok waterproof? I know its primary purpose is to deliver a low-grade electrical shock, but I confess I am still surprised. My Pebble has been in the ocean and it's fine.

It's water resistant, but not water proof. Mainly, due to the connector. We wanted to use a mini usb because everyone already has it --- and we don't want to force a custom charger.

That said, we're open to redesigning in the future. Would you prefer a custom cable over mini-usb?

How far along are you in the design/manufacturing process? Where do you plan on having this manufactured?

The early prototypes work and are already on customers. The final prototypes are being produced now, and we have contacts at several chinese manufacturing facilities!

[deleted]

Yes!

Senior Frontend Developer iOS Developer Senior Backend Developer Embedded Systems (Firmware) Engineer

Check out http://pavlok.com/careers.html

Do you use the Pavlok yourself?

Yes! I used it to break my Facebook addiction!

Do you use the device yourself?

yes! for breaking addiction to facebook!

Why didn't you respond to my email two weeks ago where I asked you for details about the sharing offers you had at your prelaunch page? I'm not super upset about it, but I was totally ready to get with the program! Regardless, big fan of the device and can't wait to see how it does.

Hey! Which email --- what was your email address?

You should have received an email asking for your information and address if you won something

Any plans on making it shock you if you waste family time by working at night/weekends?

Easy to implement!

This is sooo coool!!! I just saw the IndieGoGo page and that looks awesome! Dinner with Dave Asprey?! You guys must have the hook up :)

dave loves us

Won't this just be like cold turkey? It can stop you from playing a game or looking at a website, but as soon as I get the desire to do it I will just unistall the program.

Here's the secret: Precommitment. Using our app, you can commit to follow through with a goal --- and risk shock or monetary penalties if you don't follow through.

Stick with it, though, and you'll earn rewards --- real money!

We use a push and pull of positive and negative reinforcement to make habits stick.

Can I set this thing to shock me every weekday at 8:00 AM to force me to get up in the morning?

Absolutely! Pavlok EarlyRiser does this!

Can I get it to shock me if I do anything other than my uni work?

Yes!!!

Could this work on nail biting?

Yes!

I just read "The Power of Habit" and am a curious student of habit change. What resources would you recommend for people looking to educate themselves (books/apps...etc)?

Side note-I not too long ago completed Tim Ferriss's NOBNOM challenge using the Lift app and had amazing results. Big supporter here of both Lift and of course, NOBNOMing :)

I was the right-hand man for the launch of 4-Hour Chef and lived with Tim for 2 months! Great guy.

Is Pavlok legit? How many people would actually be interested in buying this? This sounds more like a torture device.

For actually working out and being motivated, I use Moov, it's the best wearable I've used for exercising. It motivates you with a coach unlike the other wearables.

Check it out here: http://moov.cc/getmoov/19D4F94BEC

it's legit! we've sold over 2000

and have a 50+% success rate in complete smoking cessation in 5 days

I'm on the autistic spectrum, so breaking out of routines has proven to be difficult for me. Do you think your device could help me live a more neurotypical lifestyle if it were paired with medication or cognitive behavioral therapy?

This is untested, but I believe there is a chance it could help, absolutely. Shock has actually been used for autistic children in a school in Massachusetts, so I would believe so

Is there any option for a user/developer to load any code on the device to run independantly of the app during periods when not connected. Is there any memory for data logging while not connected that can subsequently be retrieved when reconnected?

Hey! For right now, no --- it's based on your bluetooth connection.

That said, we have a microprocessor and flash memory on-board, so it's not inconceivable that we will deliver this in a future update.