Too Much of a Good Thing—Overly Positive Online Ratings—Makes for Difficult Decisions
New research helps us make sense of online ratings and reviews.
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To Kickstart a New Behavior, Copy and Paste
We have a tendency to think other people know the same things we do, which means we often miss out on a great strategy for behavior change.
How “Social Penumbras” Explain Shifts in Attitudes Toward Different Social Groups
Why have some groups fighting for acceptance been successful while others have not? It’s about who you know and how many know you.
What We're Reading
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‘Belonging Is Stronger Than Facts’: The Age of Misinformation
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The New York Times -
The Psychedelic Revolution Is Coming. Psychiatry May Never Be the Same.
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The New York Times -
Snap Judgment: A Brief History of Trick Photography
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Lapham's Quarterly -
The Liberals Who Can’t Quit Lockdown
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The Atlantic -
‘Cave Syndrome’ Keeps the Vaccinated in Social Isolation
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Scientific American
Featured
Why Aren’t Text Message Interventions Designed to Boost College Success Working at Scale?
A decade ago, it seemed like text-based interventions could help students meet their college goals. Now, those interventions don’t seem to work at scale. How are scientists meeting the problem of scalability?
Research Lead: An Unexpected Sense of Culpability, Sifting Through Positive Reviews, Social Tipping Points, and More
The Research Lead is a monthly digest connecting you to noteworthy academic and applied research from around the behavioral sciences. Here are our picks for April 2021.
What Our Pets Can Tell Us About Our Future With Robots
In her new book, robotics ethicist Kate Darling argues that we should look to our furry companions to understand the promises and pitfalls of our future with robots.
Should Video Lectures Be the New Normal in Higher Ed?
What a new meta-analysis shows about the ways video and in-person instruction influence student learning.
“Urgency and Agency”: Michael Mann on Conquering Climate Despair
The fossil fuel industry has come up with sneaky new tactics to keep us from acting on climate change. Michael Mann shows us how to identify (and overcome) their anticlimate strategies.
We Can All Be Fundamentalists, and Fundamentalism Is Everywhere
A conversation with the authors of “Minds Wide Shut” about how to avoid a destructive, and pervasive, mode of thinking that affects all of us.
Four Roles for a Behavioral Scientist within Your Organization
Designing, developing, and implementing products and programs is hard. Behavioral scientists can help. But only if you understand the roles they can play, the problems they can solve, and how they can add value to an organization like yours.
Subtract: Why Getting to Less Can Mean Thinking More
In striving to improve our lives, our work, and our society, we overwhelmingly add, overlooking another powerful option—subtraction.
Most Popular
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Subtract: Why Getting to Less Can Mean Thinking More
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Why Aren’t Text Message Interventions Designed to Boost College Success Working at Scale?
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“Natural Is Better”: How the Appeal To Nature Fallacy Derails Public Health
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The Future of Nudging Will Be Personal
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To Scale Behavior Change: Target Early Adopters, Then Leverage Social Proof and Social Pressure
