Before You Change Perceptions, Check the Reality
When perceptions and reality diverge, our instinct is to align them with education and communication. But sometimes perceptions reflect genuine experience, local context or the way we measure the...
View ArticleHow Biology Helps Shape Choice in Behavioral Economics
Behavioral economics is increasingly recognizing that personal experiences and biology play a major role in shaping decision-making. Research shows that life experiences can influence beliefs and...
View ArticleThe Modern Peril of the Availability Heuristic
The availability heuristic teaches us that easily recalled information feels more probable. But in an era of information abundance, this bias has evolved: what we don't see—when we expect to—becomes...
View ArticleWhen Influence Backfires
A review of 80 studies (1982–2024) reveals that influence strategies work best when tailored to personality. Influence strategies that match a person’s individual personality are significantly more...
View ArticleHomobiasos: The Species That Rationalizes With Eyes Wide Shut
We humans like to believe we’re rational. Some accept they are “a little biased.” However, our reasoning often serves a deeper purpose—to protect our sense of self. Homobiasos explores how the human...
View ArticleIntroducing the Behavioral Economics Institute
We’re thrilled to announce the launch the Behavioral Economics Institute (BEI)—a global hub that brings together behavioral science, data, and behavioral intelligence to turn knowledge into action. The...
View ArticleNew Worlds, Old Biases: Psychology and AI
When Jacob Irwin, an autistic man, turned to ChatGPT for validation, the AI affirmed his delusions, fueling a mental health spiral that ended in hospitalisation. His story exposes the troubling truth:...
View ArticleThe Pioneer Effect: A Bold New Effect Where No Effect Has Been Before
In the quest for originality, behavioural scientists often create new effects and frameworks—even when existing ones suffice. Dubbed the 'Pioneer Effect' phenomenon (with a tongue firmly in cheek)...
View ArticleFlipping the Switch: How Embracing Cognitive Scarcity Can Brighten Energy...
Energy poverty traps vulnerable households in a cycle of financial strain and limited decision-making, often exacerbated by cognitive scarcity. Behavioral insights offer transformative approaches to...
View ArticleHow to Create Dashboards That Boost User Engagement
Great dashboards don’t just display data—they drive action. Whether it’s tracking fitness, managing projects, or learning new skills, the best dashboards use behavioral science to go beyond numbers....
View ArticleReimagining Behavioral Science: Reflections on Equity from the 2024...
Behavioral science has continued to evolve, but there remains a need to shift our focus beyond individual-focused nudges toward a more systemic approach. In Antiracist by Design, we begin to explore...
View ArticleStress Less, Achieve More: Boosting Women’s STEM Performance
Gender gaps in STEM fields are far from resolved. High-stakes exams are part of the journey, and several studies prove that women tend to underperform. Why does this happen? How can the gap be closed?...
View ArticleWhat Behavioral Scientists Should Know about Hofstede’s Cultural Framework
Geert Hofstede revolutionized cultural research in the 1970s with a massive survey of IBM employees worldwide, using factor analysis to identify six key cultural dimensions. While his framework remains...
View ArticleThe Wealth of Wellbeing: A Behavioural Science Perspective
When we think about wellbeing, we often think about our health, including our mental state. Research has found that good financial health has a huge influence on improving overall wellbeing, while poor...
View ArticleDifferent Dinners: Unlocking Behavioural Insights for a Sustainable Food Future
In 2022, Auckland Council undertook an innovative research project utilising behavioural insights, which was designed to support Auckland households to make more sustainable and climate friendly food...
View ArticleThe Making of an Expert: The Joy Factor
The pursuit of expertise has been a longstanding goal for us humans. Drawing from key research on how we build skills, we highlight the intrinsic connection between joy and the development of expertise...
View ArticleDecoding Human Behaviour: An Exploration of Behavioural Science Methodologies
Selecting the right methodology for researching and exploring human behaviour can be a challenge. This article provides an overview of different applied behavioural science methodologies and offers...
View ArticlePricing Strategy: How Our Brains Keep Us Stuck
Pricing strategy is a funny area of business that everyone seems to hate. What role does the brain play in this, and how can you leverage behavioral economics to overcome your brain’s natural...
View ArticleUnlocking 8 Strategies to Drive Conversions and User Engagement in Web and Apps
Some apps or websites are beautiful, stylish, and well thought out in terms of UX, but have one problem: they are boring. These products can trigger both desire and resistance in the user at the same...
View ArticleAre Our Own Behavioral Biases Biasing Us Against Behavioral Science?
There have been a lot of juicy headlines as of late in behavioral science. What seems like some of the most prominent opprobriums center around the replicability of studies and the falsification of...
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