@cugelman

Motivational Chemistry and Susceptibility to Digital PersuasionBrian Cugelman, PhD

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Triggering your dopamine(Setting expectations on what you’ll gain)

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Behavioral outcomes

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Intention-Outcome Matrix

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Intended

Unintended

PositiveOutcome

NegativeOutcome

Target behavior

Backfiring Unexpected benefits

Dark patterns

Stibe, A. & Cugelman, B. (2016, in press) Persuasive Backfiring: When Behavior Change Interventions Trigger Unintended Negative Outcomes. PERSUASIVE 2016, LNCS 9638, Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016. pp. 1–13, 2016. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-31510-2_6

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Evolutionary psychology

and the neurochemistry

of motivation5

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Evolutionary psychology and motivation/emotion

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I must attain this survival advantage!

Kenrick, Douglas T., et al. "Renovating the pyramid of needs contemporary extensions built upon ancient foundations." Perspectives on psychological science 5.3 (2010): 292-314.

I must avoid this survival

threat!

Incentives +(+)What we desire

Loss aversion -(-)What we avoid

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I no longer see any difference between the words ‘emotion’

and ‘motivation’.

Emotion = Motivation7

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How can we trigger emotions, to nudge users in the right

direction?

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Dopamine

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Dopamine

• How to trigger: Perceiving anything that promote survival

• Emotional impact: Pleasure, curiosity, interest, anticipation, excitement

• Behavioral impact: Creates anticipation of reward, driving us to pursue goals with rewards

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@cugelman

Triggering dopamine

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Trig

gerin

g do

pam

ine

Hypothetical model based on a conversation between Brian and Loretta GrazianoBreuning, PhD

Too Familiar(Habituated to old rewards)

Novel(triggers most)

Too Different(Unrecognizable as a potential reward)

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Digital crack for toddlers

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R91WnllMcNA

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Marketing fatigue (habituation)

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Time

Impact

Oh wow! Another ad.

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Habituation: Why rewards lose motivational impact over time

Habituation• The brain habituates to old

rewards• Something that triggered

dopamine (motivated) in the past, no longer triggers dopamine

• When habituation kicks-in, the person still seeks rewards, but your offer loses its ability to trigger dopamine

Overcoming habituation• Use novelty, new surprises• Keep offering more, better,

bigger• Always hold back the full story• Slow down your outreach

frequency• Place your old wine in a new

bottle

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How do you overcome

habituation?

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Cortisol

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Cortisol

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• How to trigger: Perceiving any internal or external threat

• Emotional impact: Stress, alertness (low levels), alert (high-levels), anxiety (high-levels)

• Behavioral impact: Grabs our attention, and drives us to remove the pain or threat

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Cortisol and the stress response

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Motivating cortisol/stress

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Value props can be visual

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If you do X, you will get Y.

In this image, does Y trigger cortisol (threat avoidance) or dopamine (anticipation of reward)?

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Demotivating cortisol/stress

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Unhealthy cortisol/stressFrustratingPreventing goal attainment

• Errors / 404 pages• Breaking conventions • Impossible goals• Requesting too much, too fast

Complexity• Information architecture disaster• Confusing users with option overload

Ambiguity• Inconsistent page-level UI logic• Ambiguity on performing key tasks• Unclear what buttons do

ThreateningSocial threats• Social banishment• Lack of social endorsements• Jealousy

Status threats• Degrading text messages• Public shaming / embarrassment• Negative social comparison

Physical threats• Unethical “lobster trap” design• Red flags of scams, identity theft, fraud

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What are some awful ways to increase user stress?

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Reducing stress (reducing cortisol levels)

• Simplifying processes: wizards, checklists, checkouts

• Error free design is stress free design

• Reassuring the goal will be met

• Human contact (media equation contact)

• Reducing cognitive load

• Reduce ambiguity

• Humor and fun

• Entertainment

• Don’t trap users

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Is it really worth $47? Or is this a marketing ploy?

Who backs these claims?

Is this a professional design, or a cheap

template?

Why are they trying so hard to reassure me?

It looks secure.

I trust these credit card companies.

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Oxytocin

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Oxytocin

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• How to trigger: Social bonds, interaction with others, physical touch

• Emotional impact: Feeling trust, feeling connected, jealous, territorial, possessive

• Behavioral impact: Acting on trust, loyalty behavior

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Social approval / disapproval

Social approval Social disapproval

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Source representation

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A source is a person, place, or thing. They can be trusted and earn a reputation.

-bo

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Brian’s “method writing” editorial trick to trigger oxytocin

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Serotonin

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Serotonin

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• How to trigger: Realizing superiority, obtaining recognition, achieving status, climbing the social ladder

• Emotional impact: Feeling important, proud, special, confident, safe, secure, empowered, envious

• Behavioral impact: Status seeking behavior, risk-aversion, loyalty to social structures (tradition)

BACKFIRE RISKSocial comparison may be

moderated by the serotonin system, with low-status emotions tied to

anxiety, self worth, and depression.

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Social comparisonWhen people compare themselves to others, and make evaluations

of higher/lower ranking. Related to pecking orders, social status, hierarchies, etc…

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When your website flatters

47Fogg, Brian J., and Clifford Nass. "Silicon sycophants: the effects of computers that flatter." International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 46.5 (1997): 551-561.

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Flattery will get you everywhere

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Thanks so muchBrian Cugelman, PhD

Stay in touch.www.alterspark.comwww.cugelman.com

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