Fogg Behavior Model — B = MAP (Fogg)

B = MAP — Behavior happens when Motivation, Ability, and a Prompt converge at the same moment. (Fogg's earlier phrasing: B = MAT, T = Trigger.)

Multiplicative form = short-board law. Because the three combine like a product, if any one is near zero, no behavior — a motivated, able person who gets no prompt does nothing; a prompted, motivated person who can't (too hard) does nothing. Fogg's action line: for a given prompt, behavior fires only if the motivation×ability point sits above an activation threshold (raise motivation OR make it easier to cross it).

Transfer. Every call-to-action is a Prompt betting that Motivation and Ability are already high enough. The reliable lever is usually Ability, not Motivation (motivation is expensive and fickly) — reduce steps, cost, and thinking. For awareness content: the post can raise motivation, but the conversion fails silently whenever the required action is too hard or the prompt never lands at a motivated moment.

Kin: illustrative-formulas · meclabs-conversion-heuristic (motivation-first, friction as its own term) · hyperbolic-discounting (why "now/easy" beats "later/better").

Source: B.J. Fogg, Stanford Behavior Design Lab — "A Behavior Model for Persuasive Design" (Persuasive Technology conference, 2009); behaviormodel.org; expanded in Tiny Habits (2019). Earlier stated as B = MAT (Trigger).