Read by Tim Ferriss, Barack Obama, Ray Dalio and 21 others
What books does Nir Eyal recommend?
Nir Eyal writes and teaches about what he calls behavioral design, the intersection of psychology, technology, and business, and his book recommendations reflect a career spent studying how habits form. The 10 titles here come from his site NirAndFar.com, a Goodreads Ask the Author session, podcast appearances, and curated collections. Psychology and human behavior leads, joined by self-improvement and science. He is candid about influences: on Beth Kobliner's Get a Financial Life he says it "taught me why credit card debt can grow so quickly... and the sneaky tricks banks and financial services companies pull." He praises Marc Lewis's Memoirs of an Addicted Brain as "living proof that for many people, addiction is not a curse of a broken brain," and blurbs Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck as guaranteed to "change your life."
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
byYuval Noah Harari
2014443 Pages(1,100,000)
“That is one skill that we as homo sapiens have that no other animal on the face of the earth has, is the ability to see the future with high fidelity.”
— Nir Eyal
Source: The Jordan Harbinger Show
Read by Naval Ravikant, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page and 2 others
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
Adventures of a Curious Character
byRichard P. Feynman, Ralph Leighton
1985350 Pages“Here are a few books I recommend reading... Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!”
— Nir Eyal
Source: Goodreads Ask the Author
Memoirs of an Addicted Brain
A Neuroscientist Examines his Former Life on Drugs
byMarc Lewis
2011320 Pages“I'm an expert on the matter, from inside out and outside in, because I'm a drug addict turned neuroscientist. [Lewis's] journey is living proof that for many people, addiction is not a curse of a broken brain.”
— Nir Eyal
Source: NirAndFar.com
Read by Ray Dalio, Nir Eyal, Fareed Zakaria and 1 others
The Power of Habit
Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
byCharles Duhigg
2012400 PagesSource: Rebel Book Club Podcast
Get a Financial Life
Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties
byBeth Kobliner
2017352 Pages“In Get a Financial Life, author Beth Kobliner taught me why credit card debt can grow so quickly, why saving early is important, and the sneaky tricks banks and financial services companies pull to get more of your cash.”
— Nir Eyal
Source: NirAndFar.com
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
byMark Manson
2016224 Pages“Mark Manson has succeeded in explaining a crazy world to an entire generation by invoking hard science, moral philosophy, and gobs of hilarious wit. This book is guaranteed to make you laugh, question your beliefs, and (hopefully) change your life.”
— Nir Eyal
Source: Shortform
Read by Naval Ravikant, Mark Manson, Tobias Lütke and 8 others
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
New and Expanded
byRobert Cialdini
2021592 PagesSource: Blinkist Collection
The Design of Everyday Things
Revised and Expanded Edition
byDon Norman
2013368 PagesSource: Blinkist Collection
Don't Shoot the Dog!
The New Art of Teaching and Training
byKaren Pryor
1999202 Pages“Karen Pryor's Don't Shoot the Dog! is a classic on how to use positive reinforcement to change the behavior of animals, including the human kind.”
— Nir Eyal
Source: NirAndFar.com
Read by Barack Obama, Sam Altman, Ray Dalio and 14 others
byDaniel Kahneman
2011498 PagesSource: Blinkist Collection
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Nir Eyal recommend?
His 10 recommendations include Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard Feynman, The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, Get a Financial Life by Beth Kobliner, and Influence by Robert Cialdini.
What is Nir Eyal's most recommended book?
A top pick is Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. Eyal admires humans' unique "ability to see the future with high fidelity," a theme central to his work on behavior and habit design.
Which finance book does Nir Eyal credit?
Get a Financial Life by Beth Kobliner. Eyal says it "taught me why credit card debt can grow so quickly, why saving early is important, and the sneaky tricks banks... pull to get more of your cash."
Has Nir Eyal written any books?
Yes, two: Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products (2014) and Indistractable (2019), which together cover building engaging products and reclaiming control of your attention.
What genres does Nir Eyal read most?
His recommendations concentrate on psychology and human behavior and self-improvement, with additional science and technology and business, all connected to his field of behavioral design.
All 10 Books Nir Eyal Has Recommended
- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind · Yuval Noah Harari
- Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! · Richard P. Feynman
- Memoirs of an Addicted Brain · Marc Lewis
- The Power of Habit · Charles Duhigg
- Get a Financial Life · Beth Kobliner
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck · Mark Manson
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion · Robert Cialdini
- The Design of Everyday Things · Don Norman
- Don't Shoot the Dog! · Karen Pryor
- Thinking, Fast and Slow · Daniel Kahneman