Why Simplicity Can Be Strength in a Complex World
As intuitive as it seems, a complicated approach to behavioral design may not be the best response to complexity.
Michael Hallsworth
Michael Hallsworth is chief behavioral scientist at the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT). For 20 years, he has worked as both an official and an advisor to various governments, and has been a leading figure in applying behavioral science to address practical problems. He earned Ph.D. in behavioral economics from Imperial College London and is currently distinguished lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Behavioral Insights (with Elspeth Kirkman), and his new book, The Hypocrisy Trap, is out in 2025.
Five Enablers for a New Phase of Behavioral Science
Writing reports and setting goals is the easy part. Turning those goals into practice is much tougher; as behavioral scientists know, there is often a gap between intention and action.
The Real Opportunities for Empowering People through Behavioral Science
There’s much to be gained by broadening out from designing choice architecture with little input from those who use it. But we need to change the way we talk about the options.
Rewiring Organizations for Behavioral Science
If behavioral science is baked into the core structures of the organization, then it will continue to produce benefits, regardless of the leadership’s decorative preferences.
Let’s Talk Less About ‘Irrationality’
The term “irrationality” may encourage overconfidence that prevents behavioral scientists from looking more deeply into what’s driving behavior.
Making Sense of the “Do Nudges Work?” Debate
A recent pair of articles offer wildly different verdicts on nudges, and show how we urgently need a new kind of debate.
The Future of Behavioral Insights Demands Human-Centered Design
The behavioral insights approach to design has often been top-down. A priority moving forward should be to incorporate more reflexive, dynamic, and nuanced forms of behavioral change. One promising way of doing so is to adapt principles from human centered design.
Challenges Facing a COVID-19 Vaccine: A Behavioral Science Perspective
In addition to creating a COVID-19 vaccine, we need a major push to understand how people will react to it. Here are the questions we need to ask now to get ahead of the potential behavioral challenges.
Handwashing Can Stop a Virus—So Why Don’t We Do It?
How can behavioral science help us take advantage of one of the most effective measures to prevent the spread of viruses?
Early Edutainment: The Behavioral Scientist’s Guide to Fairy Tales
Fairy tales exemplify behavioral science in action (even if it’s unintentional), illustrating the power stories have to influence our thoughts and behavior.