A scholar who studies consumer decision-making explains just what it is in the human mind that makes people susceptible to nudges toward one behavior or another.
Anya Samek, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Like any personal touch, there’s a chance this common fundraising step makes people feel warm and fuzzy inside. But a five-year research project found that it doesn’t make donors more generous.
Some Californians want to ban people from living in wildfire-prone areas. Behavioral economics offers a less heavy-handed approach to reducing the costs and risks.
Why do even the rich cheat on their taxes? Roesearch suggests some people may be genetically predisposed to break the rules for their own financial gain.
Uber’s IPO will value the company at more than $80 billion, yet the data it collects on its users may be worth even more – and creates the potential for dangerous manipulation.
Software makers including Apple have been creating apps aimed at limiting how much time we spend using our smartphones. A behavioral scientist explains how – and whether – they work.
People have to make countless decisions on a daily basis that involve some degree of risk, from boarding a plane to crossing the street. The trouble is most of us don’t weigh risk well.
After two Nobel prize wins for behavioral economists, the burgeoning field has demonstrated its importance in shaping effective economic and government policy.
A scholar applies lessons from her research to negotiate with her spouse better and have an ‘awesome holiday.’ Here’s how you can too – and make your family life happier overall.
Dropping old, bad habits is hard, but starting new, good ones may not be so difficult. Or so a recent study suggests. Read how a simple sign at an airport made a difference.
Government initiatives to prod people to make better decisions got a lot of attention after Richard Thaler won a Nobel in economics for his working on nudging.
David O'Connor, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
Amazon.com and others are eager to fill the skies with drones delivering packages at all hours. Convenient, yes, but it could transform – and not in a good way – our ability to make informed choices.
Defaults are powerful tools that policymakers and marketers can use to nudge us to make certain choices, whether in our interest or in theirs. How do we ensure they’re used responsibly?
For 30 years, sports fans have been told to forget about streaks because the ‘hot hand’ is a fallacy. But a reanalysis says not so fast: Statistics show players really are in the zone sometimes.
Dozens of governments have been using the insights from the burgeoning field to ‘nudge’ citizens in ways that improve their well-being. But some worry Trump might use it for less altruistic ends.
Research suggests the answer, surprisingly, may be no, but behavioral science offers a few ways to encourage the wealthy to open their wallets a little wider.