Why We Do What We Do
Uncover the hidden logic behind your daily choices and learn how to outsmart your own brain's shortcuts.
Like Duolingo, but for Why We Do What We Do. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
A short one: 12 levels across 2 sections, about 24 minutes end to end, roughly 5 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Decoding Your Daily Actions and Mastering Your Reactions. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Why We Do What We Do
- Heuristics are mental shortcuts designed for rapid survival decisions
- The brain prioritizes speed over accuracy to save energy and time
- Systematic thinking is slow and resource-heavy compared to automatic shortcuts
- The trade-off between cognitive speed and accuracy in heuristics
- Vivid or emotional memories are easier for the brain to retrieve
- The brain uses 'ease of recall' as a proxy for how often something actually happens
- Recent media coverage can distort our perception of real-world risks
- The tendency to overestimate the frequency of vivid or recent memories
- Confirmation bias leads people to ignore evidence that contradicts their existing beliefs
- The psychological pain of a loss is significantly more intense than the joy of an equal gain
- People actively seek out information that supports what they already think
- We interpret ambiguous information in a way that favors our current opinion
- Humans are naturally wired to protect what they have more than they are to seek new rewards
- Losses 'loom larger' than gains in human decision-making
- Identifying behaviors driven by Confirmation Bias
- The psychological asymmetry between losing and gaining
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 Why We Do What We Do 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.
Imagine you're hiking and see a shape that looks like a snake. Why does your body jump back before you even realize it’s just a stick?
Get it right to open this lesson and 11 more in the app.
How to learn Why We Do What We Do, step by step
Go in order. 12 short levels across 2 sections, about 24 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
Decoding Your Daily Actions
- Spotting Your Brain's Shortcuts
- The Power of the Situation
- 2
Mastering Your Reactions
- Rewiring Your Habits
- Reframing Your Internal Story
2 sections · 4 units · 12 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about Why We Do What We Do
How do I learn Why We Do What We Do?
Go in order: start with Decoding Your Daily Actions, then Mastering Your Reactions. On Tomo that's 12 short levels, about 24 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 Why We Do What We Do?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. Why We Do What We Do is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is the Why We Do What We Do course free?
Yes. Why We Do What We Do 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 Why We Do What We Do?
12 levels across 2 sections, about 24 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 Why We Do What We Do?
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
Why We Do What We Do is taught in the Storyteller style: every lesson is a story. 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.
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Start Why We Do What We Do today.
Download Tomo, search Why We Do What We Do, and play your first lesson in under a minute.