Author: Maneesh Sethi

Android Users: What’s coming up / Beta App

Hi Android Users.

 

We are hard at work perfecting the Android experience. Most devices are working well, but a set of devices are having trouble with connection/pairing.

We are finalizing the updates before we send out the Firmware Update.

DANGER: This is a super beta build. We HIGHLY recommend you do not download this app. Instead, wait until the next update (within a few days) which will have a better process and more updated app.

However, if you’re not going to listen to me anyway, proceed.

First, unpair your device in the Android Settings -> Bluetooth window. (Hit Forget Device  or Unpair)

For now, you can download the most advanced version here: https://wp.pavlok.com/media/Pavlok-Droid-21stOct.apk .

Download this file to your android phone, make sure that you’ve enabled ‘allow untrusted developers’ in the settings window.

We intend to have a new Android Build ready by Saturday 10/24, that will allow you to upgrade your firmware. Please be patient, as we want to perfectly test the app to make sure it works.

iOS users: Get the Beta Pavlok App + Firmware Upgrade!

We are excited to give just a few Pavlok customers a sneak peak into our new app and update you firmware.
This post is for you if 1) You have received your Pavlok unit and 2) You use an iOS device.

 

Here is a list of the big features we have in this update:

  1. Charging LEDs — The Pavlok will light up when you plug it in. When it’s fully charged, the lights will turn off.
  2. Change the strength of the zap — Pavlok, by default, gives a strong zap when you press the button on the device. Now, you can change that default strength. Go to Settings -> Zap to adjust the settings
  3. Battery Life Indicator — You can see how much battery is left in the Settings menu. NOTE: This is experimental and might not be perfect.

How to update your firmware

Please make sure your device is charged before starting any firmware update. If you haven’t charged in a while, leave it in the charger for 30 mins before continuing.
  1. Navigate with iOS Safari to beta installation page: Pavlok Break Bad Habits Beta App and click install
  2. If you’re using IOS 9, please follow these few steps to trust us as developers otherwise skip to step 3

Tap Settings > General > Profiles or Profiles & Device Management. You then see a a profile for the developer under the “Enterprise App” heading.

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Now trust as a developer and you are good to go! 

This video shows you how to install the firmware, or read below.

3. Open your Pavlok app and go into remote and pair with your Pavlok, once you see the check mark in the circle. You are now paired and ready to update your firmware.
4. Go into the settings menu and you should see at the bottom update firmware to 2.4.20
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5. Click on Update and see your device start to update!
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6. Once updated you will be shown how to complete the firmware update process. You will need to go into iOS settings, choose Bluetooth. Click the (i) icon next to your Pavlok and hit Forget Device.
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7. Reset your Pavlok device by pressing down on the button for 20 seconds, until it blinks a couple times.

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8. Open the Pavlok app, navigate to remote, and repair to the device!

9. If the device doesn’t connect, or it doesn’t ask you to pair, restart your phone.

10. Awesome! It should be paired now, and you can use the new features (including Save Zap, battery charging LED, etc).

 

BUGS? Not working?

This is an experimental process, so we are working out the kinks. If the process above didn’t seem to work, follow the next steps.

  1. First, go to Pavlok App -> Settings. Does the firmware version say: 2.4.20? If not, the device update didn’t occur.
  2. Second, go to iOS Settings -> Bluetooth  and make sure there are no Pavloks with the (i) logo next to it. If there is, Forget the device.
  3. Third, hold down the button on the Pavlok device. It will immediately release a small zap, so make sure not to touch the terminals! Continue holding it down for 30 seconds, until you see the device light up. This will only happen if the firmware update completed
  4. Fourth, restart your phone
  5. Fifth, open up the Pavlok app and try to reconnect. This should fix it.

IF THERE IS STILL A PROBLEM, please email me at maneesh@wp.pavlok.com

Thanks!!!

“Bundle” your temptations to tackle your self-control problems

We all have things we should be doing… and things we spend way too much time on:

“I really should go to the gym, but I’ve got this novel I can’t put down”.

“I really should start working on my assignment, but I can’t stop scrolling through Facebook”.

“I really should go to bed early tonight, but I really wanna find out what happens in this next episode of…”

If you often find yourself dealing with any of the above or similar dilemmas, don’t despair!

A group of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have found a way to help us do the things we should be doing, and also enjoy our guilty pleasures, by “bundling” the two together.

Instant gratification plus long-term benefits = win-win!

The research

In the study (Milkman, Minson, Volpp, 2013) the researchers tested a new approach called “attention bundling” to get people to start exercising at the gym.

Volunteers were split into three groups. Participants in the first groups were given highly-engaging audiobooks that they could only access at the gym.

The second group was given the same audiobooks, but was not restricted on their use. However, the participants were encouraged to listen to them exclusively at the gym.

The control group received no audiobooks and were given no restrictions. They were simply instructed to go to the gym.

The results

After the study, the group who had gym-only audiobook access had visited the gym 51% more frequently than the control group. Those in the second group (unrestricted audiobook access) also showed up 29% more frequently than the control group.

Overall attendance did decline after a while, particularly after Thanksgiving.

However, 61% of participants found the method so useful, they stated they would pay to have gym-only devices to help them with their training program.

How to use “temptation bundling” in everyday life

“Temptation bundling” is a great way to get you going on what you should be doing, by taking away the tedium and replacing it with things you actually enjoy.

The gym example used in the study above is a great starting point. You could also apply it to other physical activities.

Let’s say you want to start running.

Find an audiobook you’ve really been wanting to listen to. Download it to your phone and commit to listen to it only while running.

If it’s a good audiobook it will serve as motivation to get you on the road. Plus, you’ll be so absorbed with listening to it, your mind will be distracted from the running, making it the activity easier to stomach.

If you don’t trust yourself to stick to the plan, just use an old phone and dump the audiobook on it. Then, give it to a family member or friend who wants to help you succeed, and ask them to only give it back to you when you go running.

Remember, this method is intended to take away the tedium of you initial attempts at building a habit. Once you’ve repeated an activity enough times, you’ll probably find you won’t need these external motivators anymore!

Bibliography

Milkman, K., Minson, J., & Volpp, K. (2013). Holding the Hunger Games Hostage at the Gym: An Evaluation of Temptation Bundling. PsycEXTRA Dataset. https://doi.org/10.1037/e570052013-128

Determined to quit smoking? Lay your salary on the chopping block

Smoking is an addiction. If you disagree, there’s probably little point in you reading this article.

On the other hand, if you have tried to quit smoking and failed many times over, you will agree it is a relentless drain on your health and finances. The cigarette becomes an essential part of your life, making it very hard to quit and stay away.

The problem is that cigarettes give instant gratification, while most of the negative effects are long-term. Your health can decline subtly, and you might not realize just how much money you burn on cigarettes over time.

So a team of researchers decided to make the financial downside of smoking a little more “painful”, to see whether this would help smokers quit their habit.

The research

The field experiment (Gine, Karlan, Zinman, 2009) focused on a group of volunteers who wished to stop smoking. As part of the study, they were asked to deposit funds in a savings account once a month for six months. The total deposited was approximately 20% of their monthly income.

At the end of this period, they would be tested for indicators of smoking. If found clean of any smoking-related substances, they would get their money back. If not, the money would be donated to charity.

The results

After six months, the volunteers were given a urine test — 35% were found to be free of any smoking-related substances, having effectively quit their habit.

More importantly, a surprise test 12 months later found 48% of them had stayed away from smoking.

How you can use this method to quit and stay away from smoking

As Mark Twain says, “Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times.”

The method above isn’t only effective at helping you quit, but also at keeping you away from the habit in the long term.

Here’s how you can set up a system to help you quit smoking, using the principles in this article:

  1. Find a friend or family member whom you trust and who cares about your success.
  2. Set up a monthly automatic transfer of funds from your account to this person’s account. To decide how much you will be contributing per month, use this formula:
    (Your Monthly Salary x 20%) / 6 = Monthly Contribution There’s no need to go for a huge chunk of your salary. Just make sure the sum is large enough to make it a painful loss if you don’t succeed.
  3. Agree on which charity will benefit in case you fail. For extra motivation, get your friend to choose a charity you’re not particularly fond of.
  4. Write all the details down on paper, sign it, and have your friend sign it too.

IMPORTANT: Make sure your friend is committed to following through with the plan even if you fail. This will give you the resolve to stick to the plan and finally give up smoking once and for all!

Bibliography

Gine, X., Karlan, D., & Zinman, J. (2009). Put Your Money Where Your Butt Is: A Commitment Contract for Smoking Cessation. PsycEXTRA Dataset. https://doi.org/10.1037/e596022012-001

Play Tetris to stop disturbing images from popping up in your head

Maybe you’re not the impressionable type.

Even so, you’ve probably seen some things in life that keep popping up in your head no matter what. They could be scary scenes from horror movies, or gruesome war photos on the news.

If you want to stop disturbing images from rearing their ugly head without your consent, a game of Tetris might help!

The research

In a study (James et al, 2015) published in Psychological Science, researchers discovered some incredible mind-altering potential in the block-dropping puzzle we’ve been raving about for 30+ years.

During the research sessions, participants were shown a 12-minute slideshow of distressing images. The next day, they were shown the images again to refresh their memories.

Next, one group of participants spent time playing Tetris, while the other engaged in some other kind of leisurely activity as a control.

Participants were then asked to record how often they had flashbacks of the distressing images during the next week.

The results

Surprisingly, those who had played Tetris after the experiment had significantly fewer flashbacks of the distressing images, even though they could recognize the images when they saw them again.

While the game did not erase the memories, it stopped them from popping up involuntarily.

What happened there?

According to the researchers, Tetris competes for the same resources used in processing traumatic memories.

While this doesn’t erase the memory of the images, it effectively stops them from reappearing involuntarily.

How to use it

First of all, Tetris is just one of many games you could use for this effect. As long as the game involves moving things around in relation to each other, you should get the same results.

Here’s a practical application.

Let’s say you’ve just watched a horror movie and you know it’s going to give you nightmares. As soon as you walk out of the theater, just spend 15 minutes playing Tetris and it should stop the scary images from popping up in your head involuntarily.

The same goes for the disturbing videos that tend to flood the social media. If you find yourself watching something and regretting it, spend some minutes with Tetris or a similar game. You’ll find those images won’t bother you anymore unless you specifically choose to recall them.

Keep in mind that you need to do this within a reasonably short period of viewing the distressing images. If it’s something you’ve watched a long time ago, you’ll have to watch it again (as in the experiment) to reactivate the memory, and then play some Tetris to break it up.

Bibliography

James, E. L., Bonsall, M. B., Hoppitt, L., Tunbridge, E. M., Geddes, J. R., Milton, A. L., & Holmes, E. A. (2015). Computer Game Play Reduces Intrusive Memories of Experimental Trauma via Reconsolidation-Update Mechanisms. Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797615583071

Extreme music may be a healthy way to deal with anger and frustration

When it comes to music, the common belief is that soft music calms you down, while extreme music such as heavy metal makes you angry and edgy.

But according to two researchers from the University of Queensland, Australia, extreme music may be a healthy way of dealing with anger and frustration.

The study (Sharman, Dingle, 2015) involved two groups of participants who regularly listened to extreme music.

Each participant was given a 16-minute interview intended to elicit anger. Following the interview, the members of one group were asked to spend 10 minutes listening to extreme music of their choice. The others were asked to sit in silence for 10 minutes.

Additionally, each participant’s feelings were assessed three times during the experiment — before the anger-eliciting interview, after the interview, and after the music-listening session.

Listening to extreme music made participants feel more inspired

Contrary to common expectations, the “extreme music did not make angry participants angrier; rather, it appeared to match their physiological arousal and result in an increase in positive emotions.” (Sharman, Dingle, 2015)

Listening to their choice of extreme music after the anger-inducing interview, made participants feel more inspired.

However, this did not happen for participants who spent 10 minutes in silence after the interview.

Aggressive Music Study

Of course, it bears mentioning that all of the participants were habitual listeners of extreme music, which admittedly is a bit of an acquired taste. For those who are not used to the genre, trying to deal with a bad day at the office by listening to Slayer might not be the best idea.

That said, if there’s a musical genre you consider “extreme” but still enjoyable, try queueing it up in your playlist next time you’re upset. You might find it triggers some positive emotions, just like it did for the participants in this study.

Bibliography

Sharman, L., & Dingle, G. A. (2015). Extreme Metal Music and Anger Processing. Front. Hum. Neurosci. Frontiers In Human Neuroscience, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00272