Hack Your Own Brain
Stop wondering why you do the things you do. Learn how to trick your habits, read the room, and finally understand the hidden shortcuts your mind takes every day.
Like Duolingo, but for Hack Your Own Brain. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
A short one: 26 levels across 3 sections, about 52 minutes end to end, roughly 10 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Master Your Daily Habits, Read People Like a Pro, and The Science of Your Feelings. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Hack Your Own Brain
- Dopamine is triggered by the anticipation of a reward, not just the reward itself
- A finished book provides a predictable experience, which generates less dopamine than an unknown one
- Variable rewards create a 'slot machine' effect that is harder to quit
- Predictable rewards lead to faster satiation and stopping
- App interfaces are intentionally built to exploit the brain's reward system
- The relationship between reward patterns and user behavior
- The physical action of swiping creates a brief moment of 'variable' suspense
- Willpower is a finite resource that often fails during stress
- An existing habit acts as a reliable 'anchor' or trigger for a new one
- The brain requires a consistent cue to initiate a routine
- The reward reinforces the loop so the brain repeats it next time
- The logical sequence of a habit loop
- Visual cues in your physical space trigger specific actions
- Habit stacking with anchors
- Reducing friction makes a behavior more likely
- The habit loop
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Hack Your Own Brain the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
When does your brain release the most dopamine while you are using a social media app?
Get it right to open this lesson and 25 more in the app.
How to learn Hack Your Own Brain, step by step
Go in order. 26 short levels across 3 sections, about 52 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
Master Your Daily Habits
- Why you can't stop scrolling
- Building a routine that actually sticks
- How to beat the afternoon slump
- The secret to staying focused
- 2
Read People Like a Pro
- What body language is really saying
- How to be a better listener
- Why we follow the crowd
- The power of first impressions
- How to win an argument without shouting
- Spotting when someone is being dishonest
- 3
The Science of Your Feelings
- Where emotions come from
- How your memory plays tricks on you
- Why we fear things that aren't dangerous
3 sections · 13 units · 26 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about Hack Your Own Brain
How do I learn Hack Your Own Brain?
Go in order: start with Master Your Daily Habits, then Read People Like a Pro, then The Science of Your Feelings. On Tomo that's 26 short levels, about 52 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for Hack Your Own Brain?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. Hack Your Own Brain is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is the Hack Your Own Brain course free?
Yes. Hack Your Own Brain is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn Hack Your Own Brain?
26 levels across 3 sections, about 52 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start Hack Your Own Brain?
No. It's pitched at a beginner level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
Hack Your Own Brain is taught in the Professor style: clear, structured, thorough. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
More Psychology on Tomo
Understanding People
Ever wonder why people do what they do? Learn to read the room, master your habits, and unlock the secrets of the human mind through practical everyday insights.
Critical Thinking
Stop taking things at face value and start spotting the hidden clues in every conversation. Learn to outsmart your own brain and make decisions you actually trust.
How Your Brain Tricks You
Discover why your mind doesn't always see the truth. Learn the secrets behind optical illusions, false memories, and the mental shortcuts that lead us astray.
Think for Yourself
Stop taking things at face value and start spotting the hidden tricks in everyday arguments. Learn how to pause, question, and make decisions you actually feel good about.
Why We Do What We Do
Ever wonder why you can't stop scrolling or why certain smells trigger old memories? Discover the hidden patterns behind your everyday choices and learn to see the world through a psychological lens.
How Your Brain Makes You, You
Ever wonder why you remember some things but forget others, or why your mood changes so fast? Discover how the physical parts of your brain create your thoughts, feelings, and personality.
Start Hack Your Own Brain today.
Download Tomo, search Hack Your Own Brain, and play your first lesson in under a minute.