Articles on Behaviour change

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Gotta catch ‘em all. Stoyan Yotov / Shutterstock.com

August 11, 2016

How Pokemon Go turned couch potatoes into fitness fanatics without them even realising it

John A Parkinson, Bangor University

The minds of Pokemon trainers have been manipulated using basic behavioural science.

How you let young children use a tablet device can influence their behaviour in later years. Shutterstock/Nataliia Budianska

March 29, 2016

Tablets at the table can influence child development, not always in a good way

Joanne Orlando, Western Sydney University

If you use a tablet device to keep a child quiet at the dining table or other event then you could be limiting their social skills. That could have an impact on the way they behave later in life.

One memorable goldfish. Flickr/ Benson Kua

February 4, 2014

The goldfish test that can change your behaviour

Miriam Sullivan, University of Western Australia

The average Australian spends more than five hours watching YouTube every month. With such high viewership, it’s no surprise that interest groups are reaching out with YouTube to try to change people’s…

Rent is free, but scientists turn your lights on and off and open and close your doors remotely. University of Salford

November 1, 2013

Close doors, boil less water, turn down the heat – save £600

Erik Bichard, University of Salford

Britain’s housing stock is old and leaky. The vast majority fails to meet modern energy efficiency standards, is responsible for over a quarter of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, and is often very…

It’s just an illusion: drinking more coffee every day to keep alert. PA/Geoff Caddick

August 27, 2013

Caffeine withdrawal drives need for more but are we addicts?

Peter Rogers, University of Bristol

Caffeine is humankind’s favourite drug. It’s estimated to be consumed by 80% of people worldwide, and most of us consume several doses a day. This popularity would appear to be explained in large part…

Campaigns to switch off won’t work until they fit in with the ways we already behave. Andrew Huff

January 31, 2013

Hard habit to break: getting out of our energy wasting ways

Jennifer Boldero, University of Melbourne and Geoffrey Binder, RMIT University

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions requires behavioural change. But how do we get individuals into this habit or, for that matter, any habit that reduces energy consumption? Two academic disciplines concern…

May 7, 2012

Active kids more likely to throw a tantrum

Monash University

A study involving 5000 preschool children has found that kids who are more physically active are more likely show behavioural…

A simple step towards saving the environment may lead to more environment action … or not. Department of Energy Solar Decathalon

April 19, 2012

Simple steps to save the environment may not make much difference

John Thøgersen, Aarhus University; Jim Curtis, Monash University, and Liam Smith, Monash University

Many environmental organisations, governments and businesses rely on “positive spillover strategies” to drive pro-environmental behaviour change. These strategies rest on the assumption once someone has…

Top contributors

Liam Smith
Director, BehaviourWorks, Monash University
Jim Curtis
Research Fellow in Behaviour Change, Monash University
John Thøgersen
Professor in economic psychology, Aarhus University
Jennifer Boldero
Associate Professor in Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne
Geoffrey Binder
Casual tutor/lecturer in ESD, Planning and Social Sciences, University of Melbourne
Peter Rogers
Professor of Biological Psychology, University of Bristol
Erik Bichard
Professor in Regeneration & Sustainable Development, University of Salford
Joanne Orlando
Researcher: Technology and Learning, Western Sydney University
Miriam Sullivan
Lecturer in Science Communication, University of Western Australia
John A Parkinson
Professor in Behavioural Neuroscience, Bangor University