Heavy Lifting = Heavy Thinking

Miller-McCune News reports on a new study that found people think more carefully when they carry heavier objects: In another test, participants were asked to rate a series of arguments in favor of building a controversial subway system. Once again, those carrying the heavier clipboard seem to have thought through the issue more thoroughly: They [...]

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Speaking of Behavior Change

This sign includes some interesting elements of behavior change: Notice the top message. One lesson from behavioral research is that people can be convinced to do things when they know others are doing it. Who wants to be among the 2% of idiots that don’t pay their fare correctly? I wouldn’t, so I’ll “touch in [...]

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Behavior Change in the White House

Time ran an interesting article on how the Obama administration (and before that for his campaign) is being influenced and advised by the brightest minds in behavior change research. We all know Obama won the election because he looked like change, sounded like change and never stopped campaigning for change. But he didn’t call for [...]

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“Nudging” the Printer

Mayor Kathy Taylor announced that the city’s printers will now be set to two-sided printing by default, saving an estimated (and astounding!) $41,400 per year. This is a great example of what Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein call “nudges.” One well-known nudge is default enrollment into 401(k) programs, which can boost enrollment rates up to [...]

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Behavior Change, One Cup of Coffee at a Time

One thing we’re interested in at the Tulsa Initiative is how to get people to change their behaviors, borrowing heavily from ideas in psychology and behavioral economics (see Nudge or the work of two of our colleagues on the Tulsa Children’s Project, Michael Barr and Sendhil Mullainathan). So I like to keep my eyes on [...]

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