Combining Behavioural Science and Māori Cultural Values to Improve the...
In behavioural science, context is everything. Behavioural Science Aotearoa (BSA) works across the justice sector in New Zealand, where indigenous Māori people make up almost 17% of the population. We...
View ArticlePersonalised Persuasion: How Predictable Are You?
When it comes to nudging, it’s very much a case of ‘different strokes for different folks'. A free donut might entice some people to take a vaccine; for others, it might make them even more skeptical....
View ArticleDesigning Theory-Informed Behavior Change Apps
Technology has become a relevant asset for scientists supporting people in modifying their behavior. For instance, we find various apps on the market trying to achieve this. Some inspire their designs...
View ArticleTransparency: A Tool to Build Election Trust
Trust in government and election confidence rates have continued to decline in the US. Research indicates that employing operational transparency could be a potential solution. Using these insights, we...
View ArticlePlanning Your First Field Experiment in Business
Experiments (aka A/B tests) are the bread and butter of behavioral scientists. However, running experiments requires much more than knowing statistics, especially when you’re running “field”...
View ArticleBehavioral Segmentation in Marketing: How to Increase Conversions
Market segmentation is a valuable strategic tool in marketing. How to properly do segmentation is, however, not widely known. In this article, I lay out the principles of segmentation and provide a...
View ArticleDesign More Equitable Digital Health Interventions with the Behavioral Double...
Effective digital health interventions may need to address a broad set of barriers in order to help a diverse population change behaviors. Layering the Double Diamond model of design with a behavioral...
View ArticleUsing Behavioral Science to Improve a Referral Program
How do you use a referral program to motivate people? We ran a large-scale experiment aimed at increasing referral volumes at our staffing company. The details of the experiment were motivated by...
View ArticleBoosting Transit Ridership – $2 at a Time
A majority of commuters in the US choose to drive alone. We aimed to understand the influence of monetary incentives and anchoring on the transportation choices of residents in Los Angeles, California....
View ArticleEmpathizing With Future Selves
We’re generally poor at predicting how events will impact future states of happiness. And yet, if we’re going to make good decisions in the present, we need to empathize with our future selves at some...
View ArticleThe Psychology of Debt Collection
More and more people struggle with debt, and while people differ in their motivations, preferences, and their reasons not to pay, debt collection practices rarely take these factors into account. Using...
View ArticleMore Conversions With Social Media Targeting: Lessons From Behavioral Biology
Targeting the right customers with the right message is one of the most established strategic goals in marketing. However, traditional approaches to targeting can often end up being ineffective and...
View ArticleLeveraging Behavioral Insights: A Guide for Practitioners
Many behavioral interventions offer win-wins to firms, governments, and other stakeholders. However, research has shown that experts do a poor job predicting the effectiveness of behavioral...
View ArticleCan Behavioural Insights Help Us Improve Our Relationship With Ourselves?
While it’s true that self-confidence partially comes from the feeling that the people around us approve of us (something we can’t control), what we can control is how much emphasis we place on others’...
View ArticleEco-labels Prompt Diners to Make More Sustainable Choices
Meat and dairy production causes considerable environmental damage, which most consumers are unaware of. Is the answer to this eco-labeling, where consumers are provided with a sustainability rating on...
View ArticleDark Patterns Powered by Machine Learning: The Role of Behavioral Science Ethics
Dark patterns, the “sludges” of the digital world, aim to distort consumers’ decision-making process. Dark patterns powered by machine learning represent an even higher threat, in that they don’t just...
View ArticleMake or Break: The Behavioral Science of Innovation
Successful innovation requires far more than a market gap, a visionary, funding, and new technology. Innovation is a behavioral process from start to finish. It relies on the decision-making processes...
View ArticleThe Dark Side of Hope
Hope is a positive emotion. It helps people to get through hard times. But hope can have a dark side: it keeps people from walking away from bad situations when they should. When it's time to sell...
View ArticleLet’s Play Some Games and Save the World
Mis- and disinformation about the U.S. electoral process has caused massive disruptions in voting behavior and reduced trust in American democracy. There have been a handful of attempts to combat the...
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...
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