In this episode of Science of Change, our host Kristen Berman talks to one of the sharpest applied behavioral scientists out there and the Chief Product Officer at Big Health, Kelvin Kwong. The popular sleep app Sleepio and the anxiety therapeutic app Daylight are some of Big Health’s products in the rising market of health apps. How have they managed to join behavioral science and clinical psychology methods into an online service? Kelvin and Kristen go deep on the science, the methods, and the effects that constitute Big Health’s success; from getting people to learn new strategies to assessing their improvement and establishing commitment. Join this conversation and learn about the science behind your anxiety or sleep assistance mobile app.

Jump straight into:

01:12 - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and some of its counterintuitive but very efficient techniques: How sleep restriction works as a therapy for insomnia.

08:13 - Precommitment and dealing with failure: How Sleepio knows about your readiness to change and makes an assessment of your level of commitment.

11:51 - The Hurricane Effect and the optimism bias: What is the perfect moment to introduce people to useful techniques? Before or after a crisis?

16:00 - Big Health’s focus on getting you better: Retention, follow-through, and getting users successfully to remission.

21:20 - What are the metrics that assess well-being?: How Big Health tailors your program and assesses your outcomes through a highly precise clinical survey.

24:27 - Behavioral science rapid-fire questions: On failing experiments, the use of scores, and why we often rationalize symptoms of mental illness.

28:31 - Combining clinical experience with behavioral science expertise: Is it possible to build a real “therapeutic alliance” through an app?

30:33 - The importance of uniqueness in psychology and the Barnum Effect: How Big Health understands your drivers and personalizes your experience using technology.

33:46 - On the future of digital mental health: Making the apps more efficient and intelligent based on people’s digital behavior.

Episode resources

Additional reading and citations

Connect with Kelvin through LinkedIn

Big Health

Thank you for listening to The Science of Change. Reach out to Kristen through LinkedIn and visit The Irrational Labs website for more information on behavioral science.

This show is presented by SetSail (follow on LinkedIn) and produced by Kristen Berman and Studio Pod Media. The executive producer is Rachael Roberts. All episodes are written by Jack Bueher. Music and editing provided by

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