Inciting instead of coercing, 'nudges' prove their effectiveness

Date:
January 17, 2022
Source:
Universite' de Gene`ve
Summary:
To get through challenges such as the pandemic or the climate
change, citizens must change their habits and behaviors. But how
can this be achieved without resorting to coercive measures? The
answer to this question may be the 'nudges' that have been gaining
popularity over the last decade. By making small changes in our
environment, these interventions aim to encourage changes in our
behavior, while preserving our freedom of choice. From adding
informative labels to reorganizing the food offer in a cafeteria,
the overall effectiveness of these interventions has now been
demonstrated.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Developed by the American economist Richard Thaler in the late 2000s,
the theory behind "nudging" theory is based on the principle that our
choices are not only determined by our ability to reason, but are also influenced by certain biases such as our emotions, our memories, the
opinions of others or the configuration of our environment. Focusing on
these elements can therefore be more effective in getting us to change
certain behaviours than a ban or an awareness-raising campaign.


==========================================================================
In the behavioral sciences, researchers call this a modification of
the "choice architecture." This is done, for example, when in a company cafeteria the healthiest dishes are deliberately placed at the top of the
menu to encourage customers to select the option that is most beneficial
to their health, without infringing on their freedom to choose. As a
result, this type of intervention is attracting increasing interest from
both the scientific community and public authorities.

Over 450 strategies analyzed Despite the growing popularity of nudges,
their performances had not yet been studied in their entirety. By
performing a meta-analysis (a statistical approach aimed at synthesizing
the results of numerous studies), a research team from the University
of Geneva (UNIGE) has succeeded in demonstrating the effectiveness of
"nudges" and identifying the areas in which they are most relevant. "We
have collected more than 200 scientific articles published over the
last 15 years on the subject, which represent more than 450 'nudge' strategies," says Ste'phanie Mertens, the study's first author and a
researcher at the Consumer Decision and Sustainable Behavior Laboratory of
the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the UNIGE.

To carry out this study, the researchers classified the nudges
described in this scientific literature into three groups: "information," "structure" and "assistance." In the first set, they grouped interventions whose objective is to inform individuals in order to motivate them to
make certain choices, such as the "nutri-score" labels found on certain
food products. In the second set, they grouped techniques that deal
with the structure of an environment. This is the example (cited above)
of highlighting certain meals in a cafeteria menu.

In the third set, they classified nudges involving a form of commitment,
as in the case of a person who stops smoking and informs those around
him or her.

When informed, the people around him or her take on the function of a "safeguard" in the choice architecture of the abstinent smoker.

Highly effective for food choices The scientific team concluded that
all three groups of nudges are effective.

They note, however, that the techniques in the second group ("structure")
are the most effective. "Within these groups, we also compared different
areas of application, such as health, finances or energy consumption. In
the end, we found that nudges work best in the area of food," explains
Tobias Brosch, Director of the Consumer Decision and Sustainable Behavior Laboratory. Tobias Brosch and his team have also observed disparities in
the quality of the studies produced on the subject over the years. "It
is imperative that the overall study quality increases because of the
impact that nudges can have on the daily lives of citizens," he explains.

All of the synthesized data is now available to researchers. But this
study is also intended to become a reference document for policymakers who
wish to implement these new practices. "However, it is important to bear
in mind that nudges are powerful tools, as our research shows. Nudges
must therefore be used wisely and within the framework of democratic
and transparent processes," concludes the researcher.

special promotion Get a free digital "Metabolism Myths"
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get wrong about diet and exercise. Claim_yours_now_>>> landing.newscientist.com/what-is-new-scientist-sd/ ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Universite'_de_Gene`ve. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Stephanie Mertens, Mario Herberz, Ulf J. J. Hahnel, Tobias
Brosch. The
effectiveness of nudging: A meta-analysis of choice architecture
interventions across behavioral domains. Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, 2022; 119 (1): e2107346118 DOI:
10.1073/ pnas.2107346118 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220117093004.htm

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