Behavioral Economics Insights

Dark Patterns Powered by Machine Learning: The Role of Behavioral Science Ethics
Gallery
Dark Patterns Powered by Machine Learning: The Role of Behavioral Science Ethics

Business & Management, Government & Civic Behavior, Technology & Digital

Dark Patterns Powered by Machine Learning: The Role of Behavioral Science Ethics

Dark patterns, the “sludges” of the digital world, aim to distort consumers’ decision-making process. Dark patterns powered by machine learning represent an even higher threat, in that they don’t just trick users to do something, but alter human behavior in a durable, undetectable, and indefensible way. This article examines the main issues linked to machine learning powered dark patterns and seeks to outline possible solutions.

By Borbála Dömötörfy|2022-11-22T01:30:08+00:00November 22nd, 2022|Categories: Business & Management, Government & Civic Behavior, Technology & Digital|Tags: behavioral science ethics, dark pattern, ethics, human machine interaction, machine learning, regulation, self-regulation, ux design|

Eco-labels Prompt Diners to Make More Sustainable Choices
Gallery
Eco-labels Prompt Diners to Make More Sustainable Choices

Environment, Energy & Transportation, Marketing & Consumer Behavior

Eco-labels Prompt Diners to Make More Sustainable Choices

Meat and dairy production causes considerable environmental damage, which most consumers are unaware of. Is the answer to this eco-labeling, where consumers are provided with a sustainability rating on product packing? Would consumers welcome this information, and would it promote consumers to make sustainable choices?

By Katie De-loyde|2022-11-09T10:13:38+00:00November 8th, 2022|Categories: Environment, Energy & Transportation, Marketing & Consumer Behavior|Tags: BPP journal, eco-labelling, social nudge, sustainability, sustainable diets|

Can Behavioural Insights Help Us Improve Our Relationship With Ourselves?
Gallery
Can Behavioural Insights Help Us Improve Our Relationship With Ourselves?

Health & Medicine, Society & Everyday Life

Can Behavioural Insights Help Us Improve Our Relationship With Ourselves?

While it’s true that self-confidence partially comes from the feeling that the people around us approve of us (something we can’t control), what we can control is how much emphasis we place on others’ opinions. Several of the thoughts that undermine - if not entirely diminish - our self-confidence come from systematic errors in judgement. Despite being commonly applied to economic decision-making, behavioural insights may explain how we, at times harshly and irrationally, judge ourselves.

By Sharon Rosenrauch|2022-11-01T02:03:14+00:00November 1st, 2022|Categories: Health & Medicine, Society & Everyday Life|Tags: chunking, confirmation bias, exposure, heuristics, information avoidance, internal narrative, selective attention, social proof|

A Practitioner’s Guide to Leveraging Behavioral Insights
Gallery
A Practitioner’s Guide to Leveraging Behavioral Insights

Behavioral Theory & Insights, Business & Management, Marketing & Consumer Behavior

A Practitioner’s Guide to Leveraging Behavioral Insights

Many behavioral interventions offer win-wins to firms, governments, and other stakeholders. However, research has shown that experts do a poor job predicting the effectiveness of behavioral interventions. This article aims to help calibrate forecasts of an intervention's effectiveness. I outline six steps to help assess whether a published effect is likely to be useful in practice.

By David Comerford|2022-10-27T03:05:05+00:00October 25th, 2022|Categories: Behavioral Theory & Insights, Business & Management, Marketing & Consumer Behavior|Tags: behavior change, behavioral design, behavioral economics, behavioral science|

More Conversions With Social Media Targeting: Lessons From Behavioral Biology
Gallery
More Conversions With Social Media Targeting: Lessons From Behavioral Biology

Behavioral Theory & Insights, Marketing & Consumer Behavior, Technology & Digital

More Conversions With Social Media Targeting: Lessons From Behavioral Biology

Targeting the right customers with the right message is one of the most established strategic goals in marketing. However, traditional approaches to targeting can often end up being ineffective and sometimes even harmful to brands. In this article, we discuss a framework for social media targeting based on insights from behavioral biology.

By Lachezar Ivanov|2022-10-24T09:01:06+00:00October 24th, 2022|Categories: Behavioral Theory & Insights, Marketing & Consumer Behavior, Technology & Digital|Tags: behavioral biology, behavioral science, biology, consumer behavior, evolution, fundamental motives, marketing, segmentation, social media, targeting|

The Psychology of Debt Collection
Gallery
The Psychology of Debt Collection

Behavioral Theory & Insights, Finance & Investing, Marketing & Consumer Behavior

The Psychology of Debt Collection

More and more people struggle with debt, and while people differ in their motivations, preferences, and their reasons not to pay, debt collection practices rarely take these factors into account. Using psychological insights, debt collection can be made more debtor-friendly and effective. The results: increased repayments for companies and a lower financial burden for consumers.

By Maria Douneva|2022-10-11T01:40:44+00:00October 10th, 2022|Categories: Behavioral Theory & Insights, Finance & Investing, Marketing & Consumer Behavior|Tags: behavioral economics, behavioral finance, behavioral science, Debt, Debt Collection, financial decision making, intertemporal choice, money, nudging, reciprocity, social comparison|

Empathizing With Future Selves
Gallery
Empathizing With Future Selves

Behavioral Theory & Insights, Finance & Investing, Marketing & Consumer Behavior

Empathizing With Future Selves

We’re generally poor at predicting how events will impact future states of happiness. And yet, if we’re going to make good decisions in the present, we need to empathize with our future selves at some level. How can we reconcile this? The answer may lie with art, visualization, and social cognition.

By Matt Johnson|2022-09-19T06:34:51+00:00September 19th, 2022|Categories: Behavioral Theory & Insights, Finance & Investing, Marketing & Consumer Behavior|Tags: affective forecasting, art, consumer behavior, dual self, empathy, financial decision making, intertemporal choice, marketing, projection bias, self-control, social cognition, time discounting|

Boosting Transit Ridership – $2 at a Time
Gallery
Boosting Transit Ridership – $2 at a Time

Environment, Energy & Transportation, Government & Civic Behavior

Boosting Transit Ridership – $2 at a Time

A majority of commuters in the US choose to drive alone. We aimed to understand the influence of monetary incentives and anchoring on the transportation choices of residents in Los Angeles, California. Our key results included willingness to accept values averaging around $7, a difference in acceptance rates between anchoring treatment groups, and a significant change in acceptance rates when shown double-digit compared to single-digit values. This presents an opportunity for transit-based companies to invest in monetary incentive schemes to boost sustainable mode use.

By Bhargav Shetgaonkar|2022-11-08T07:59:42+00:00August 16th, 2022|Categories: Environment, Energy & Transportation, Government & Civic Behavior|Tags: anchoring, commute, incentives, Los Angeles, sustainability|

Using Behavioral Science to Improve a Referral Program
Gallery
Using Behavioral Science to Improve a Referral Program

Business & Management, Technology & Digital, Work & Employment

Using Behavioral Science to Improve a Referral Program

How do you use a referral program to motivate people? We ran a large-scale experiment aimed at increasing referral volumes at our staffing company. The details of the experiment were motivated by concepts in behavioral science, specifically something called present bias. Many of our colleagues were surprised by what we found.

By Ben Tengelsen|2022-12-06T01:59:46+00:00August 14th, 2022|Categories: Business & Management, Technology & Digital, Work & Employment|Tags: incentives, present bias, referral|

Designing More Equitable Digital Health Interventions
Gallery
Designing More Equitable Digital Health Interventions

Health & Medicine, Technology & Digital

Designing More Equitable Digital Health Interventions

Effective digital health interventions may need to address a broad set of barriers in order to help a diverse population change behaviors. Layering the Double Diamond model of design with a behavioral design process ensures the inclusion of a comprehensive set of behavior change techniques in an intervention. Coupled with personalization technology, this approach can make digital health more equitable.

By Amy Bucher|2022-09-12T06:26:37+00:00August 8th, 2022|Categories: Health & Medicine, Technology & Digital|Tags: behavioral design|

Latest Insights

Behavioral science ideas at your fingertips

Dark Patterns Powered by Machine Learning: The Role of Behavioral Science Ethics

Eco-labels Prompt Diners to Make More Sustainable Choices

Can Behavioural Insights Help Us Improve Our Relationship With Ourselves?

A Practitioner’s Guide to Leveraging Behavioral Insights

More Conversions With Social Media Targeting: Lessons From Behavioral Biology

The Psychology of Debt Collection

Empathizing With Future Selves

Boosting Transit Ridership – $2 at a Time

Using Behavioral Science to Improve a Referral Program

Designing More Equitable Digital Health Interventions