How “Nudge Theory” can help you (and others) make better choices

You want a healthier diet, but you can’t stop getting junk food every time you get hungry. You want your kids to fold their clothes and put them away, but you’re tired of asking and reminding them 27 times a day. (Also, I don’t want to create a color-coded “reward chart” where you can win prizes by doing the bare minimum). You want to remember to cook for your spouse, but you don’t want to be persistent. (Wow. You are good.)

It turns out that there is a way for people (and yourself) to do more of what you need and want without beating them with the sound of your voice. It is called Nudge theory.

What is Nudge Theory?

A term developed and coined by Nudge Theory, Richard ThalerA professor of economics and behavioral science at the University of Chicago is a practice that forms the environment or its “choice architect” to encourage people to make certain decisions. Nodding uses small, subtle reminders and indirect suggestions to influence behavior rather than ultimatum, explicit incentives, or strict enforcement.

However, the key to the effectiveness of Nudge is that the people being Nudge are unaware of the limitations of their choices. It has to be subtle — and they sayI feel that I maintain freedom of choice and control the decisions they make.. As outlined in his 2008 book Nudge: Improving health, wealth and well-being decisionsCo-authored with Cass Sunstein:

“Nudge uses this term, so Choice architecture It changes people’s behavior in a predictable way without banning options or significantly changing economic incentives. To count as just nudge, avoiding intervention should be easy and cheap. Nudge is not obligatory. Placing the fruit at eye level is counted as a fine adjustment. We do not ban junk food. “

(Interesting fact: One of Nudge’s famous examples is the “urinal target”, which is an image of a bee or bee etched inside the urinal.Encourage users to aim for a specific location.. Interestingly, this was in a toilet made by a gentleman named Thomas Crapper in England. Yes, this is where the toilet got this nickname. )

How to fine-tune yourself for a better decision

Think about the small tweaks you can make in your environment to guide yourself (or others) to the decisions you (they) want to apply Nudge theory to your own life. please. Visual clues are often helpful. Want to start running more? Place your sneakers by the door. Do you not remember riding a bicycle? Hang the bicycle on the wall at eye level. Want to eat healthier? Don’t push the fruit away. Place it in the middle of the kitchen island to increase the chances of catching a banana in front of a cheetos bag.

How to Nudge Others

When it comes to affecting the behavior of others, Katie Milkman, Behavioral scientists at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania advise on timeliness. “It’s not very effective to tell your partner to drop in at the store in the afternoon, but it’s effective to send the text as if you were in the car after work,” she says. Told to CNN..

Milkman also advocates reminders that include a “planning prompt” to increase follow-through. As a parent, I’m happy when her daughter postpones her homework and piano practice. I pretend to be a semi-flexible and understanding parent, “OK, what time do you do? And how do you remind yourself?” — I’m not just annoying. (Well, I’m probably morningBut at least, According to Ivy League behavioral scientists, it’s effective.. )

And it also works for Discourage Specific behavior.If you want to tweak yourself no Do something and design a small barrier between yourself and the actions you want to reduce. If you want to stop checking your phone every 5 minutes, put it on a high shelf in another room. If a company wants its employees to drink more water, It Move the soda to a hard-to-reach place near the cash register. (look Click here for other examples Effective nudge. )

Please select in advance

“The way we think about choosing now and later is very different,” Milkman adds. I want to exercise tomorrow, but tonight I just want a pizza and a remote control. We usually want to do better and healthier things for ourselves in the future, so it helps to move people (including ourselves) to make decisions in advance. For Sunday meal plans, apply for classes at the gym a few days in advance. By doing this, people’s actions will be more in line with their long-term intentions, not just what they want now.