Eating cookies or socializing: Changing the habit loop
Why did he eat a cookie as a mid-afternoon break? Every day at about 3:30 Charles Duhigg would go to the cafeteria, buy a cookie and chat with his co-workers. …
Get your malaria here: storytelling on the web
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkOtNcqopDg In 2010 UNICEF did a guerrilla marketing campaign about dirty water. The project set up a vending machine on a crowded street in New York City. Here’s how it …
Would you drive more slowly to win a prize?
What if you could win a prize for safe driving? Would it encourage you to drive more slowly? The answer, an experiment in Sweden found, is yes. The system uses …
The Super Bowl and supersize bowls
Americans are fat. More than two-thirds of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese. Big portions are a big reason. Drinks, snacks and meals have all gotten bigger over …
9 life lessons I’ve learned from my cats
At the beginning of each year, we often consider how to change the way we live. This year, I’m going to use my cats as role models. The ancient Egyptians …
We’re all sheep
The Wall Street Journal ran an article about how to get people to adopt green behaviors. The headline said, “It isn’t financial incentives. It isn’t more information. It’s guilt.” The …
The storyteller isn’t just another old white guy
M. Sanjayan is the lead scientist for the Nature Conservancy. He also has a great knack as a storyteller. This is highly unusual. Most scientists are not very good storytellers. …
Learning from the Big Dogs
Huck Finn is a puppy. Half golden Labrador retriever, half Labradoodle, he’s a bundle of loose-limbed, silky-eared energy. Huck has a group of fans (I confess to being one) who …
Plant Amnesty: Make ‘em laugh to save the trees
Plant Amnesty does not use the nudge. The Seattle nonprofit group does not gently press people to change their behavior. The organization’s mission is “to end the senseless torture and …
Denis Hayes: Nudging people to take the stairs
How do you get people to take the stairs instead of the elevator? Denis Hayes suggests designing buildings so the stairs are the obvious choice. If the first thing you …