The Fluency Effect
The fluency effect is a cognitive bias that lulls you into thinking that passively consuming content about something is the same as doing the thing.
You watch a few YouTube tutorials about playing guitar and you’re pretty confident you could give Jimi Hendrix a run for his money.
You binge watch sourdough tutorials on TikTok, and Tartine better watch out.
It’s the same thing with getting better sleep.
Reading sleep tips, listening to hours of the Huberman Lab podcast and staring at a wearable’s sleep score telling you that you’re allegedly so tired you might not make it through the day can lull you into thinking you’re doing things that are going to improve your sleep, some day.
But you’re not doing anything. You’re consuming information about doing things.
Anyone who wants to get off the bench, stop being a health spectator and take action has to do just that–take action.
It’s so obvious, it’s easy to forget.
Change takes action and what works is what you do consistently.
Simple, Not Easy
The science to improve sleep is open source, free and straightforward - yet most people find putting it into practice on their own is difficult.
That’s why we built The Better Lab to guide you to actually do the things proven to improve your sleep, one practice at a time. Get the app free here if you haven’t already.
What to Expect
Every time we drop a newsletter, we’ll focus on one simple aspect of sleep science, behavioral science or performance.
Today, that’s the fluency effect. See above ☝️.
Over time we’ll also share foundational and emerging research and information in sleep science and related fields like health, wellness, fitness and high performance. And we’ll introduce you to the brilliant practitioners and researchers who have helped us develop The Better Lab method and share insights from their areas of expertise.
The Better Lab in the News
Velo, a leading cycling outlet published by Outside, Inc., took a closer look at The Better Lab in a recent story. Their overview highlights how the methods and science behind The Better Lab system are becoming the norm at the highest levels of pro sport. Here’s an excerpt:
If the bad sleep data that’s spewing out of your smartwatch or HRV tracker is giving you nightmares, there might be a better way to optimize your zzz’s. . .
Sleep scientists believe that self-rating is the gold standard of sleep assessment, even over clinical-grade sensors.
In the athletic community, studies urge coaches to prioritize athletes’ subjective self-measurement over the numbers that are spat out of sensors.
That’s why so many in the data-centric world of pro cycling don’t trust their algorithmic sleep scores and recovery traffic lights.
“We don’t use wearables. We don’t believe the measures are valid and reliable,” Tudor Pro Cycling performance guru James Spragg told Velo.
“Instead, riders report to us their sleep duration and quality. Their own subjective sense of themselves is just as important as data,” Spragg said.
