Behavioral Decision-Making

What is the real human motivation? Find the nudge.

https://hbr.org/2015/09/why-the-u-s-government-is-embracing-behavioral-science

President Obama has just signed an order compelling US government agencies to use behavioral sciences to “better serve the American people.” I think this makes a lot of sense. Too often government policies sound good on paper but fail to have a big impact on the way the world really works. We think if we tell people something is good for them – like saving money, exercising more, or caring about the environment – they’ll follow that plan because it’s in their own best interests. But everyone who has studied the fascinating field of behavioral decision-making knows that in reality we make choices for very irrational reasons. We need to nudge people differently.

 

photo Ron Mader