Why do we fail to act, even when we know exactly what to do?
In this episode of FOMO Sapiens, Patrick McGinnis is joined for a third appearance by Nir Eyal, one of the world’s leading thinkers on behavior, habit formation, and distraction. Known for Hooked and Indistractable, Nir returns to discuss his new book, Beyond Belief, which tackles the hidden force behind attention, motivation, and change.
Nir shares how years of coaching, research, and personal frustration led him to a core insight: motivation isn’t a straight line—it’s a triangle. Even when we know the behavior and understand the benefit, change collapses without belief. Whether it’s trusting the outcome or trusting ourselves, belief is the invisible foundation beneath every action.
The conversation covers:
Patrick and Nir also explore how belief impacts relationships, political disagreement, and personal agency—and why adopting “extremist nuance” may be the healthiest response to modern polarization.
This episode offers a powerful reframe: beliefs aren’t truths to defend—they’re tools to choose. And choosing better beliefs may be the most important skill of all.
Nir Eyal is a globally recognized authority on behavior change and human potential. His frameworks have empowered millions to build better habits, enhance focus, and unlock greater agency in their lives and work. A former lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, Nir has collaborated with leaders and organizations worldwide to boost performance through behavior design.
He is the author of the international bestsellers Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, which have sold over one million copies in more than 30 languages. Hooked was a finalist for the 2014 Goodreads Choice Awards. Indistractable won the 2019 Outstanding Works of Literature (OWL) Award and was named one of the Best Business & Leadership Books of the Year by Amazon, Audible, and The Globe and Mail. His third book, Beyond Belief: The Science-Backed Way to Stop Limiting Yourself and Achieve Breakthrough, reveals how to identify and replace the hidden beliefs that define our limits.
As a seasoned entrepreneur and angel investor, Nir has backed multi-billion-dollar companies, including Canva, Kahoot!, and others. In addition to blogging at NirAndFar.com, his writing has been featured in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic, and Psychology Today. For over 25 years, he has worked alongside his wife and business partner, Julie Li.
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By submitting this form, you agree to our privacy policy and to be contacted by Patrick J. McGinnis. By entering your phone number, you agree that we can contact you by call or text message at the telephone number you have provided.
