Social & Emotional InfluenceMember ingredient

Loss Aversion

A potential loss can receive more weight than an equivalent gain relative to a reference point, but the size and even presence of that difference depend on the task and measurement.

Member ingredient

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Seen in real products

How teams put it to work.

Examples identified in our interface teardowns, linked back to the full product journey.

DuolingoProfile creation after the lesson

“Don’t lose your progress” explicitly frames profile creation around a possible loss. This is observable loss wording, not evidence that loss aversion caused sign-up. State what progress is at risk, when and why, offer a recovery route without an account where feasible, and test comprehension, pressure and regret—not conversion alone.

View Duolingo onboarding: course setup, first lesson, streaks, profile and Super offer →