THE SCIENCE

The science behind the craving off switch

Quit by Heart isn’t a black box. Our FAST & For Good Method™ is built atop peer-reviewed research — meaning our tools and tactics hold up under a real craving.

Our FAST & For Good Method™ provides smokers with evidence-based Fast Acting Strategic Tools that help smokers defeat their biggest obstacles to quitting nicotine – and staying quit.

TWO MECHANISMS, WORKING TOGETHER

A robust framework for behavior change

We harness the power of psychology and physiology and combine them to work for you in a way they never could individually – cold turkey or alongside pharmacologicals.

Brain icon representing the psychology of breaking the smoking habit

The psychology: breaking the habit

Quit by Heart employs a suite of tools that link triggers with responses – you pre-decide your response before a trigger hits — making quitting an automatic behavior, not a moment-by-moment willpower struggle.

Flame icon representing calming nicotine cravings

The physiology: fight fire with fire

A brief guided activity crushing cravings and withdrawal symptoms at the source in seconds — drug-free – by exploiting the same neural pathways nicotine exploits.

THE RESEARCH BEHIND IT

Built on decades of published behavior science

Grounded in behavior-change science recognized by the U.S. National Cancer Institute for smoking cessation.

If-then planning

A meta-analysis of 12 smoking-cessation studies found if-then planning more than doubled quit rates versus control — 10.7% quit vs 4.9% (odds ratio 1.70, p<.001). It's the engine that turns 'I want to quit' into an automatic response the moment a trigger hits.

McWilliams et al., 2019, Health Psychology.

Mental contrasting (WOOP)

Pairing your goal with the real obstacle in the way — then an if-then plan (the WOOP / MCII method) — is Oettingen's self-regulation strategy. In an online trial with smokers, it boosted smoking reduction, especially for the most dependent smokers — the ones willpower fails hardest. It's why our plan starts with your real 'why.'

Mutter, Oettingen & Gollwitzer, 2020, Psychology & Health.

Exercise & acute cravings

A systematic review found that in every trial comparing a bout of exercise with sitting still, exercise cut cigarette cravings and withdrawal — relief starting during the activity and lasting up to 50 minutes afterward. It's part of how the craving kill switch works, drug-free.

Taylor, Ussher & Faulkner, 2007, Addiction.

19% vs 2%

In a randomized trial, smokers who made if-then plans quit at 19% — versus 2% in the next-best control. The effect worked by weakening the smoking habit itself, not just the craving.

Armitage, 2008 & 2016, Health Psychology.

Every feature must clear three standards

1 Be ethical

We win when you quit and move on — not when you stay attached to an app.

2 Science + data driven

Every method is rooted in published evidence and sharpened by real outcomes.

3 Easy for the average smoker

If it isn’t simple enough for a hard day, it isn’t finished.

What we claim — and what we don't

Quit by Heart combines evidence-based methods in its suite of tools. The studies cited are on the underlying techniques, not a claim of a specific quit rate, and are not a substitute for personal medical advice. Individual results vary.

References

Armitage, C. J. (2008). A volitional help sheet to encourage smoking cessation: A randomized exploratory trial. Health Psychology, 27(5), 557–566.
Armitage, C. J. (2016). Evidence that implementation intentions can overcome the effects of smoking habits. Health Psychology, 35(9), 935–943.
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.
Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493–503.
McWilliams, L., Bellhouse, S., Yorke, J., Lloyd, K., & Armitage, C. J. (2019). Beyond ‘planning’: A meta-analysis of implementation intentions to support smoking cessation. Health Psychology, 38(12), 1059–1068.
Mutter, E. R., Oettingen, G., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2020). An online randomised controlled trial of mental contrasting with implementation intentions as a smoking behavior change intervention. Psychology & Health, 35(3), 318–345.
Oettingen, G. (2012). Future thought and behavior change. European Review of Social Psychology, 23(1), 1–63.
Taylor, A. H., Ussher, M. H., & Faulkner, G. (2007). The acute effects of exercise on cigarette cravings, withdrawal symptoms, affect and smoking behavior: a systematic review. Addiction, 102(4), 534–543.

Evidence-based, and built for real life

Quit smoking or vaping with a method grounded in behavior science — and a craving kill switch in your pocket.