Topic: Nudges
Graphic Presentation of COVID-19 Data Can Skew Perceptions of Risk
Showing cumulative cases — not day-to-day trends — could nudge people to avoid reckless behavior
Household Waste Reduction Gets a Lot of Study — But Institutional Settings Are the Bigger Opportunities
Growing tension between behavioral research focused on the individual and the study of societal systems
How to — and How Not to — Message Older Americans
Practitioners often ignore decades of progress in understanding what works
How to Spot a Nudge Gone Rogue
Researchers find common warning signs in persuasion projects that went wrong
Lack of Urgency Can Undermine a Popular Behavioral Nudge
Encouraging pre-commitment to a future behavior helps people do hard things — but it can backfire
Like Checking the Weather: Air-Quality App Charts Local Pollution
Information helps users decide when, and whether, to venture outside or exercise
Modest Financial Incentives Help with Weight Loss
Tying payments to weight, rather than behaviors, marginally more effective
Nudging Teachers, in a Large Field Study, Marginally Boosted Student Math Performance
Fifteen nudges tried out across 140,000 teachers and some 3 million students
Opting Women into Competition Could Help Narrow Gender Gap
Fixing the process and abandoning the mindset of ‘fixing the women’
Out of the Blue, a Colon Cancer Screening Kit Arrives
That approach, closer to an opt-out, beat three nudges, or opt-ins at encouraging younger people to get tested
People Don’t Mind Government Nudges, but Prefer Them Free of Politics
When an unloved cause or political adversary is attached to a nudge, the method itself becomes suspect
Replicating a Successful Nudge in Health Care: Advice for Skeptics
How it often goes wrong and key observations for effective strategies
Simple Prompts Reduce Common Fear of Social Security ‘Going Broke’
Reminding people that payroll taxes will keep flowing in — even after the trust funds hit zero — helps them understand benefits won’t disappear
Texting Our Way Closer to Herd Immunity
A simple message with a behavioral nudge boosts vaccination rate
The Case for Building Wiggle Room into Goals
Aiming high, with some flexibility to trip up along the way, spurs greater success
The Case for Field Experiments in Behavioral Research
Nudges already proven to work in the real-world increased uptake of COVID-19 boosters; nudges based on lab findings and expert insights, not so much