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Evidence informed

The Science Behind Become

Become is built around established principles from psychology and behavioral science.

The Become approach brings together research-informed ideas about future-self connection, identity, goal-directed behavior, habit formation and reflection.

The research below explains the principles that have influenced how Become is designed and how those principles translate into the experience inside the app.

01

Your future self matters

The person you are becoming can influence the choices you make today.

Psychological research on future-self continuity explores how connected people feel to their future selves. Research suggests that when people feel more connected to their future self, they may become more willing to make choices that benefit their longer-term wellbeing.

Become starts here.

You define the person you are becoming and make that future self more tangible, giving you a reference point for the choices and behaviors you practice today.

Research

  • Hershfield, H. E. (2011). Future self-continuity: how conceptions of the future self transform intertemporal choice. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1235(1), 30–43.

    doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06201.x

  • Rutchick, A. M., Slepian, M. L., Reyes, M. O., Pleskus, L. N., & Hershfield, H. E. (2018). Future self-continuity is associated with improved health and increases exercise behavior. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 24(1), 72–80.

    doi.org/10.1037/xap0000153

  • Gao, Y., Li, X., & Zhang, Y. (2024). Future Self-Continuity Predicts Health-Promoting Behaviors of Chinese Rural College Students: Evidence from Mental Imagery Intervention. The Journal of Psychology, 158(3), 179–199.

    doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2023.2279532

  • Blom, S. S. A. H., Wästlund, E., & Kristensson, P. (2026). The day preconstruction method: A novel method to strengthen future self-continuity. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied.

    doi.org/10.1037/xap0000574
02

Identity gives behavior meaning

Our sense of who we are is connected to the behaviors we repeat.

Research has found a substantial relationship between identity and habit, particularly in health-related behaviors. This growing body of research supports the value of considering identity alongside behavior when thinking about behavior change.

Become begins with identity for this reason.

Your Identity Profile and Core Five help you define the person you want to become and the qualities you want to practice.

Research

  • Zhu, L., Tao, Y., Guo, Y., Zhang, X., Wang, T., Zhou, B., Li, G., & Zhang, L. (2025). The relationship between habit and identity in health behaviors: A systematic review and three-level meta-analysis. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being.

    doi.org/10.1111/aphw.70017

  • Oyserman, D., & Destin, M. (2010). Identity-Based Motivation: Implications for Intervention. The Counseling Psychologist, 38(7), 1001–1043.

    doi.org/10.1177/0011000010374775
03

Turn intentions into action

Knowing what you want is only part of the process. Turning an intention into a specific action can make it easier to act.

Research on implementation intentions suggests that deciding in advance when, where and how you will act can improve goal attainment.

Become translates the person you want to become into specific behaviors you can practice in everyday life.

Research

  • 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.

    doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38002-1
04

Practice through repetition

Behaviors become easier to repeat through practice.

Habit research suggests that repeated behavior, particularly when practiced in consistent contexts, can contribute to the development of automaticity.

Become gives you a place to practice the behaviors connected to your future self, day after day.

Research

05

Reflection helps you notice what is changing

Paying attention to your behavior gives you information you can use.

Research on self-monitoring and goal progress has found that interventions which increase monitoring of progress can also support goal attainment.

Become’s daily check-in gives you a regular opportunity to notice what happened, reflect on your behavior and decide what comes next.

Research

  • Harkin, B., Webb, T. L., Chang, B. P. I., Prestwich, A., Conner, M., Kellar, I., Benn, Y., & Sheeran, P. (2016). Does monitoring goal progress promote goal attainment? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 142(2), 198–229.

    doi.org/10.1037/bul0000025

Personalized support

Become also includes a personalized AI Coach designed to support reflection and keep your daily practice moving forward.

Research into conversational AI and behavior-change interventions is still developing. Early research is exploring how personalized feedback, monitoring, goal setting and conversational support may contribute to behavior change.

Become’s AI Coach is designed to complement the core Become process, rather than replace it.

Influences on the Become approach

Become has also been influenced by the work of Dr. Benjamin Hardy, whose writing on future-self development has played an important role in Niamh’s thinking about identity, personal growth and becoming.

His work has helped bring ideas from psychology and behavioral science into practical personal-development work. The academic evidence on this page comes from the original peer-reviewed research listed within each section above.

Please note

Become is a behavior-change and personal development app, not a medical or mental health treatment.

The research cited on this page relates to the psychological and behavioral principles that inform the design of Become. Research directly testing the effectiveness of the Become app itself has not yet been conducted.

Meet my future self

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