Subscribe
Sign in
PAVLOK — Wearable to help you break bad habits
32
Replies
Can I use your API yet? Can something not in the app (like some event on the web) trigger the app to shock you?
I actually emailed yall about this a while back and would love to hear any update!
The application would be something like: measure some online record (withings scale measurement, running tracker activity, whatever), and trigger a shock when something is wrong. Manual triggering is ok, but I'd love to automate it!
@goeric Hope this helps. Just for security, some other nail biting fixes that stopped me were 1) keeping nail clippers in multiple spots in my apt so i could always clip them, vs let them grow and want to bite them. 2) look up germs that exist under your nails. friggin gross.
A good story from @maneesh about hardware, kickstarter, money, and debt:
https://medium.com/@maneeshsethi...
Side note: I haven't owned a device since my iPhone 1 that has gotten this much attention from people I'm with. It does resemble a fitness tracker so it doesn't get noticed immediately, but as soon as I show it to them and let them try the zap, it's a huge hit (and has helped me stop slouching in my chair!).
If snapping a rubber band on your wrist seems archaic, now you can zap yourself with the Pavlok
PAV15 gets you 15% off
Great to see this shipping! I originally posted this to PH two years ago when it was in pre-order phase: https://www.producthunt.com/tech...
@maneesh : can you clarify how "it it can be used to enhance - Meditation - Exercise - Love and Sex." ? I'm not really getting the connection.
@_jacksmith @mrtampham I think it's more about ending bad habits rather than developing good ones using what Psychologists call "away motivation". If you work out what deters you from becoming better at something, then I think it could work.
I noticed in the video it can be controlled remotely, so go the extra mile in your exercise or give your partner a good time... or they zap you... that's motivating!
Just want to jump in here. I was fortunate enough to use one of the beta Pavloks and participated in a Boston University study on smoking.
Prior to using the Pavlok, I smoked 1+ pack a day for over two years. I committed to zapping myself every time I touched a pack and inhaled and within a week my cravings were virtually gone. While I've slipped up on the occasional social smoke, I no longer consider myself a smoker. Truly has changed my life.
I've also begun experimenting using the pavlok for some of my other annoying habits (getting distracted while working..) happy to answer any questions!
@maneesh -- share your story about getting slapped in the face :-)
Is Pavlok hackable? Do you have any APIs that I could plug into and hook up my own algorithms or build my own software for it? Say I wanted it to interact with a product I already use but it doesn't have the zapping feedback mechanism.
@bentossell Thought I would share some more videos and stories of it in use. :)
Pavlok is a wearable device designed to help reduce cravings and break bad habits. It utilizes Pavlovian conditioning to create a negative association with the bad habit.
I built the device because I was addicted to Facebook, and hired a girl to slap me when I went on fb (heh). I decided to build a device to automate it.
Then we discovered that self-administered electric stimuli while doing a bad habit was a VERY well tested type of research called 'aversive conditioning.' We found 21 clinical trials using aversive conditioning to break bad habits. See here: http://pavlok.com/blog/21-scient...
It integrates with sensors, apps, and (coming-soon) IFTTT to automate when the zap should occur. BUT it works EXTREMELY well when used manually. If you want to cut down on sugar? Zap yourself whenever you have the urge to eat. Within a few days, the desire to eat sugar goes away (and the flavor changes).
Want to quit smoking? Zap yourself while you smoke, and the craving becomes an aversion.
Pavlok helps users cut habits including:
-Smoking
-Unhealthy/mindless eating
- Sleeping in (Pavlok alarm clock vibrates to wake you up, if you don't it will zap you awake).
- Nail biting (80% of users quit in 5 days)
- Obsessive thinking / Negative thoughts
- Hair picking / hair pulling
- Being too emotional, anger, etc.
And it can be used to enhance
- Meditation
- Exercise
- Love and Sex.
Pavlok offers remote control access to vibrate, beep, and send variable levels of the electric stimulus through the air.
I've used it for several habits --- tortilla chips (now scare me/make me nauseous), licking the back of my teeth, this weird head scratch I had, cutting down on cursing, and focus on productivity.
Stories of Pavlok Users: http://buy.pavlok.com/pages/stor...
Check us out on:
ABC Boston -
Good Morning America -
David Green Quit Watching TV -
Nagina Quit Biting Her Nails:
What habits would you like to reduce/break, Ben?
@maneesh love the detail! Thanks so much :)
I tend to dip in and out of lots of things during my work day - I don't have a dedicated hour to email or other things... although it is in the nature of my job to be accessible and available to chat via a variety of platforms!
Here are 9 stories of Pavlok users, taken from our Stories page: http://buy.pavlok.com/pages/stor...
Yanjaa quit playing video games in seven days or less.
“I played video games on purpose for 30 minutes while some other people were shocking me at random intervals. Next morning I didn't feel like playing at all but as part of the conditioning I continued playing 30 minutes a day for the next four days and I just felt sick thinking about the game. The rewards of the game simply didn't outweigh the annoying feeling of the shocks.”
An Anonymous User quit watching TV in seven days or less
"I quit TV by shocking myself while I watched it!"
Simon (Hi Simon!) quit eating cookies from the cookie jar in just two days.
"Had a bad habit of dipping into the Cookie jar after lunch. Used my PavLok every time I opened the jar. Fixed the problem in 2 days."
An Anonymous User stopped picking his face in seven days or less.
"did several days of the training (set up a timer for 5 minutes, do the action, shock, etc). Made a personal rule to shock every time found self picking."
(FYI: We're offering a special 15% of code to readers of the newsletter, just for today. Click here and use the discount code PRODUCTHUNT to apply the discount)
Eric R. stopped negative thoughts in about 5 days.
"Each time a had a negative thought, I would zap myself and think basically the opposite to the thought I just had. ""My boss sucks and is going to give me a stupid assignment"" or ""This girl won't think I'm cool"" was replaced with ""My boss is a fair and knowledgeable person"" and ""I have a lot of things going for me, of course I'm cool.""
This took me about 5 days to see improvement. My general attitude is more positive now."
Dewey quit drinking soda in five days.
"I followed the 5 day plan in the booklet. I sat down with a coke (my go to bad habit drink) and shocked when I saw it, heard the "schee" sound when opening it, smelling it, sip and tasting it. I would also hold the coke in my mouth for about a minute while giving multiple shocks. My last coke was October 18th, had no urge to drink one even during a few nights of drinking. Any time there is a thought about it, I shock myself to use it at bay."
Roman quit nail biting and reduced obsessions and compulsions in seven days or less
"I felt change day 2. There's an immediate, heightened sense of awareness of the nail biting and picking. The shock provides reinforcement that no SSRI was ever able to do, and with no side effects.
In less than a week, my habits have halved. The behavioral science coupled with the wearable is powerful, convenient.. it just works.
I pick at myself less, and find myself thinking about how much I've Not been picking more. I catch myself faster, and although my compulsive behaviors aren't completely gone, it's still so early.
I can't wait to see myself in a few weeks. "
An Anonymous User quit night eating (waking up in middle of the night and eating) in seven days or less
"Shocked myself while preparing and eating in the middle of the night"
John quit biting his nails in 4 days (and quit biting the skin around his nails, too!)
"Every time I found myself biting my nails, I would pause with my finger close to my mouth and shock myself. I was able to stop biting my nails within 4 days and the skin around my nails within 12 days. I still find myself bringing my hands to my mouth, but now I can always stop myself. I am extremely happy with the results and my fingers look healthier than ever! Next habit is going to be touching my face and then eating candy."
Sound interesting? Order a Pavlok (click here) and use discount code PRODUCTHUNT to get 15% off. Valid for just a few hours.
Hi all -- this is the CEO again! We have a lot in store---but will you even read this message: p
Question -- we have more votes than almost anyone today, but we are in the middle of the list. How do you guys judge who moves up?
Happy to see Pavlok getting all the attention. Have been following since the concept stage. Hope to get one soon.
As a sidenote, it's interesting to see you've taken the "long sales letter" approach to the landing page. Haven't seen one of these in a while :)
I happened to be part of an event in Boston, where Pavlock was picthed. I think it was an event by @mannyfernandez (DreamFunded). I liked it and came away with good feelings about this innovative way changing bad habits. If my memory serves correct, Pavlock was trashed by Mark Cuban in Shark Tank. Is that correct? Somehow Mark Cuban doesn't like any product in this space. He may be bit biased.
My question to @maneesh: Does your product help calm kids, when they are super active? It is a case of ADHD, where a kid can go crazy due to some electrical activity released by brain. Kid is helpless in that situation.
Product Hunt