Not just hype.
Built to work.
Every track is written with eight techniques from sport and behavioural psychology, each one backed by published research. This is what goes into yours, and why it works.
- 8
- techniques in every track
- 9
- published studies behind them
- 1
- track that's all about you
We talk to you by name
Your track never says “I can do this.” It says “Sam, you can do this.” Coaching yourself by name, the way a coach in your corner would, puts a little distance between you and the pressure, and that distance is where calm comes from.
Before a high-pressure speech, people who coached themselves by name or as “you” felt less anxious and less ashamed afterward, and judges rated their speeches as better, compared with people who said “I”.
We keep it believable
Over-the-top affirmations can backfire. When a line feels false, your brain argues back. So we never tell you you're perfect. We build on your real values and who you're becoming, so every line lands as true.
People with low self-esteem who repeated “I'm a lovable person” felt worse, not better. Reflecting on real personal values has the opposite effect: across many studies it lowers stress and defensiveness.
We name what stands in your way
Just dreaming about the finish line can quietly drain your drive, because your brain feels like it's already there. Your track pairs the goal with the real obstacle and the plan to beat it, every time.
In Gabriele Oettingen's research, people who only pictured a happy outcome put in less effort and achieved less. Contrasting the goal with the obstacle in the way made people more energised and more likely to act.
We give you a plan for the hard moment
Motivation fades exactly when you need it. A “when this happens, I'll do that” plan doesn't need motivation: it fires automatically. Your track has one built in, for your hardest moment.
A landmark review of 94 studies with more than 8,000 people found “when-then” plans had a medium-to-large effect on actually reaching goals. They're among the most reliable follow-through tools in psychology.
We help you ride out cravings
A craving feels like it'll last forever. It won't. Urges rise, peak and pass like a wave. Beating a Craving talks you through the wave, minute by minute, and hands you your plan at the top.
Smokers taught “urge surfing”, noticing a craving rise and fall without acting on it, smoked fewer cigarettes in the week that followed.
We remind you who you are
“Go for a run” is a chore. “You're a runner” is who you are. People protect who they are far harder than they finish a to-do list, so your track speaks to the person you're becoming.
Asking people to “be a voter” instead of “to vote” raised real-world turnout by more than 10 percentage points. One word turned a task into an identity.
We use your own wins
The best proof you can do a hard thing is a hard thing you've already done. Quit something, finished something, got back up: it's in your track, as your receipts.
Albert Bandura, one of the most cited psychologists in history, found that past success, what he called mastery experience, is the strongest source of belief in your own ability.
We match the tempo to the moment
The right beat changes how hard the work feels. Run, gym and morning tracks are tuned to tempos that carry you, so the music does some of the lifting.
Reviews of decades of research find that well-chosen music can make exercise feel easier, lift mood and help people keep going for longer.
All eight.
In your track.
Your name, your obstacle, your plan, your proof, at the right tempo. Tell us your story and we'll do the rest.
Make my trackReferences
- Kross, E., Bruehlman-Senecal, E., Park, J., et al. (2014). Self-talk as a regulatory mechanism: How you do it matters. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 106(2), 304–324.
- Wood, J. V., Perunovic, W. Q. E., & Lee, J. W. (2009). Positive self-statements: Power for some, peril for others. Psychological Science, 20(7), 860–866.
- Cohen, G. L., & Sherman, D. K. (2014). The psychology of change: Self-affirmation and social psychological intervention. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 333–371.
- Oettingen, G. (2012). Future thought and behaviour change. European Review of Social Psychology, 23(1), 1–63.
- Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119.
- Bowen, S., & Marlatt, A. (2009). Surfing the urge: Brief mindfulness-based intervention for college student smokers. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 23(4), 666–671.
- Bryan, C. J., Walton, G. M., Rogers, T., & Dweck, C. S. (2011). Motivating voter turnout by invoking the self. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(31), 12653–12656.
- Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215.
- Karageorghis, C. I., & Priest, D.-L. (2012). Music in the exercise domain: A review and synthesis (Part I). International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 5(1), 44–66.
Belief Beats tracks are motivational, not medical. They're no substitute for professional help with health, addiction or mental-health concerns.