The Shards points system employed by Ethena incorporated sophisticated principles from behavioral economics to drive user engagement. The system leveraged variable reward schedules, where users received unpredictable point allocations for different actions, creating a compelling “game-like” experience that encouraged repeated engagement. The public display of point totals created social comparison effects, motivating users to increase their activity to keep up with peers. The goal gradient effect—where motivation increases as users approach specific milestones—was carefully engineered into the points thresholds. The behavioral economic design of the ethena airdrop campaign demonstrated how psychological principles can be ethically applied to encourage desired user behaviors without resorting to manipulation. This approach represents a significant advancement in how cryptocurrency projects design engagement systems, moving beyond simple financial incentives to incorporate deeper understanding of human motivation and decision-making patterns.