Stories, science and secrets from the world’s brightest thought-leaders. Behavioral Grooves is the podcast that satisfies your curiosity of why we do what we do. Explanations of human behavior that will improve your relationships, your wellbeing, and your organization by helping you find your groove.
Episodes
Sunday Aug 30, 2020
Sunday Aug 30, 2020
[NOTE: Republished in its entirety from original episode #104 on December 15, 2019.]
Eugen Dimant, PhD is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences Department and a Senior Research Fellow at the Identity and Conflict Lab, Political Science Department – both at the University of Pennsylvania.
His research is rooted in economics and sits at the crossroads of experimental behavioral economics, behavioral ethics, crime, and corruption, with much of his recent work focusing on the ways “bad apples” (people will malintent) can be thwarted. This is also manifest in his research on behavioral contagion of pro- and anti-social behavior among individuals and groups. Because we met up with him presenting a paper at NoBeC, a social norms conference, we also discussed the role of social norms in pro- and anti-social behaviors.
We are inspired by Eugen’s work with social nudges and what can be done to minimize the impact of people who are out to corrupt systems and communities. And, we had a great time talking with this incredibly passionate researcher about his wide variety of interests.
We are grateful to Eugen for reaching out to us as we were planning our 100th Episode celebration in Philadelphia. He invited us to the University of Pennsylvania’s NoBeC Conference – the Norms and Behavioral Change Conference – that was happening the same days that we were recording our 100th Episode. Eugen, along with his colleague Chris Nave, PhD, helped us arrange conversations with many researchers and speakers at the conference and we are forever grateful.
Finally, we invite you to keep listening after our discussion with Eugen to hear Kurt and Tim’s Grooving Session and then the Bonus Track where we recap the key insights from the episode.
© 2020 Behavioral Grooves
LINKS:
Eugen Dimant, PhD: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/lps/graduate/mbds/faculty/eugen-dimant
NoBeC (Norms and Behavior Change Conference): https://web.sas.upenn.edu/nobec/
Cristina Bicchieri, PhD: https://upenn.academia.edu/CristinaBicchieri
Gary Bolton, PhD: https://personal.utdallas.edu/~gxb122130/
Nudge: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudge_theory
Social Norms: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/social-norms/
Injunctive and Descriptive Norms: https://study.com/academy/lesson/injunctive-and-descriptive-group-norms-definitions-differences-examples.html
Pluralistic Ignorance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluralistic_ignorance
Peer Effects: https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/applied-and-social-sciences-magazines/peer-effects
Coleman’s Boat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGaz0xKG060
Chris Nave, PhD: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/lps/graduate/mbds/contact/christopher-nave
Bobo Doll Effect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobo_doll_experiment
Robert Cialdini, PhD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cialdini
Kiki and Bouba: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouba/kiki_effect
Pollstar: https://www.pollstar.com/
Musical Links
Drake: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_(musician)
Bushido: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushido_(rapper)
U2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U2
Ed Sheeran: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Sheeran
Eagles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagles_(band)
Rolling Stones: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones
Fleetwood Mac: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleetwood_Mac
Sunday Aug 23, 2020
Sunday Aug 23, 2020
Nicole Fisher, DrPH is the president of Health and Human Rights Strategies and is a regular contributor to Forbes magazine on social justice issues. Her piece in Forbes about “The Psychology of Protests” is an excellent analysis of why people take to the streets.
Nicole earned a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Chicago, then her Doctorate of Public Health from Chapel Hill, and she was also an Economics Fellow at George Mason University. We felt we could go wide and deep on our conversation with her and that’s exactly what happened.
In our discussion, we talked about the need for grace and understanding, a concept called peer permission, the psychology of protests (from a piece that was written prior to George Floyd’s murder and the global outpouring of peaceful dissent throughout the world), and how the heart of the matter with a pandemic is public health.
In the Grooving Session, Kurt and Tim also discussed the Peace Prayer of St. Francis and recommended, in the Bonus Track, to consider sidling up to someone you don’t see eye to eye with and learn about how and why they feel the way they do. You just might learn something!
We hope you enjoy this episode and we encourage you to take a moment to give us a review as ratings go a long way in introducing us to new listeners.
© 2020 Behavioral Grooves
Links
Nicole Fisher, DrPH: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicole_Fisher
Nicole-related links:
Health & Human Rights Strategies: https://www.hhrstrategies.com
Dr. Nicole Fisher Forbes Column: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYU0m9Esz1rFzx6pqvP0OIA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nic_fisher
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicfisher/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.f.fisher
Groups and things we chatted about (that I remember...):
NOCOVID: https://nocovid.us
NPR CodeSwitch: https://www.npr.org/2020/06/16/878963732/why-now-white-people
Mythunderstood Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/69yTv2hOdUqmPe6tybNLCy?si=1hFJmcX8SfW5D2oXx1FAww
Second Story Books: https://www.secondstorybooks.com/
Chris Graves: https://www.ogilvyconsulting.com/people/chris-graves/
John Barry, PhD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_M._Barry
The Prayer of St. Francis: https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/prayer/traditional-catholic-prayers/saints-prayers/peace-prayer-of-saint-francis/
Sheriff who walked with protesters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j1k9459pYk
Sunday Aug 16, 2020
Sunday Aug 16, 2020
Tara Austin is a strategist and was recently the Chief Strategy Officer for Kindred in London. Many of us know her for her public speaking events, like her presentation at Nudgestock in June 2020, and the amazing work she did with Rory Sutherland, Sam Tatam, and Jez Groom at Ogilvy over many years.
We discussed a project she did with Ogilvy Change referred to as the Babies in the Borough. On the heels of the London riots in 2011, Tara wanted to see how a paper she’d read a few years earlier might apply to reduce crime in England. With the help of a master street painter, Ben Eine, the team gathered photos of babies from locals in the neighborhood and had them rendered on the security doors of businesses. After the babies’ faces were added to the shop shutters, the city saw declines in theft, vandalism and public urination year-over-year.
We also talked about Edward de Bono, his development of lateral thinking and the six thinking hats. De Bono’s work can help us improve our decision making, which is likely to lead to greater happiness in our lives, and that’s always a win.
Thank you for checking out our conversation with Tara, and if you like it, please leave us a review.
© 2020 Behavioral Grooves
Links
Tara Austin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-austin-78b2a780/
HOME Creative Consultancy: https://www.homeagency.co.uk/
The Grocer magazine: https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/
Ben Eine, street artist: https://beneine.co.uk/
Pinkie Campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hWxU_ICoHM
Edward DeBono, PhD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_de_Bono
“Six Thinking Hats”: https://www.debonogroup.com/services/core-programs/six-thinking-hats/
The “Cute Matters” paper is actually “Baby Schema in Infant Faces Induces Cuteness
Perception and Motivation for Caretaking in Adults”: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3260535/
Glocker, Melanie L et al. “Baby Schema in Infant Faces Induces Cuteness Perception and Motivation for Caretaking in Adults.” Ethology: formerly Zeitschrift fur Tierpsychologie vol. 115,3 (2009): 257-263. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.2008.01603.x
Lateral Thinking: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateral_thinking
Jaywalking: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaywalking
Beggar’s Banquet Records: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beggars_Banquet_Records
Common Biases & Heuristics: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XHpBr0VFcaT8wIUpr-9zMIb79dFMgOVFRxIZRybiftI/edit
Ozan Varol: https://ozanvarol.com/
Musical Links
Dolly Parton “9 to 5”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbxUSsFXYo4
The Killers “Human”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIZdjT1472Y
Lou Reed “Satellite of Love”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH2EgYq_NCY
U2 “Satellite of Love”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q1zWNITuyg
Gretchen Peters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r07tGdLpKIQ
Loretta Lynn “The Pill”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DcdONaKSQM
Loretta Lynn “Coalminers Daughter”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlHJ9Tp24yY&list=PLsZQ89o7KvqJPUf2oKv8iHDhb25Puqbpd&index=28
“Pan Pipes of the Andes”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNCuRpdemew
Spice Girls: “Who Do You Think You Are": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YriinrRGug
Monday Aug 10, 2020
Monday Aug 10, 2020
Elspeth Kirkman is responsible for BIT’s work on health, education, and local government. Prior to this role, she oversaw the establishment and growth of BIT’s North American office from New York. She has taught behavioral science at Harvard, acts as an expert advisor to a number of global institutions, and serves as a Senior Fellow for Casey Family Programs, advising on the applications of behavioral and decision science to child welfare systems.
Prior to joining BIT in 2013, Elspeth was a management consultant working with government clients around the world.
Due to some technical challenges, we weren’t able to record a full hour of conversation. However, in the time we had available we discussed how important models can be in helping us solve problems, especially the COM-B model. (COM-B focuses on three aspects of behavior change and they are Capability, Opportunity and Motivation.)
We also discussed the central pillars for good application of behavioral science. Elspeth used words like, “context” and “pragmatism” and “actual impact” and it made us happy to hear those words.
Finally, we talked about the future of behavioral science and Elspeth laid out a couple of important themes. On one hand, she suggested we study behavioral sciences in order to integrate the findings into the mainstreams of business and government policy. On the other hand, she imagines a future with more crossover of behavioral science with fields like AI and how Quantitative and Qualitative tools might work better together.
We hope you enjoy our conversation with Elspeth as much as we did!
© 2020 Behavioral Grooves
Links
Elspeth Kirkman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elspethkirkman/
And…https://www.bi.team/people/elspeth-kirkman/
Co-Author with Michael Hallsworth: “Behavioral Insights” book: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/behavioral-insights
Katy Milkman Episode # 99 “Behavior Change for Good”: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/katy-milkman-behavior-change-for-good/
EAST Framework: https://www.bi.team/publications/east-four-simple-ways-to-apply-behavioural-insights/
COM-B Model: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3096582/
Musical Links
Joni Mitchell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAxjPfWOiqI
Smashing Pumpkins: https://www.smashingpumpkins.com/
Violent Femmes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHapDS2fcFE
James Taylor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfJWqjoekow
Rolling Stones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kl6q_9qZOs
Paul Simon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fmf9ZJ_Yn0A
David Bowie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ_wnJSRFso
Michael Jackson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA
U2 “Achtung, Baby”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdXczOeDVbw
U2 “Joshua Tree”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AOQysQKE8A
Sunday Aug 02, 2020
Sunday Aug 02, 2020
Shlomi Ron is the CEO of the Visual Storytelling Institute. He co-founded the institute after 20 years of digital marketing with some of the largest brands in the world. Its purpose is to help business leaders rise above the noise through the power of storytelling and the effectiveness of visual media.
Shlomi is an author and his latest book is “Total Acuity: Tales with Marketing Morals.” In it, he offers readers relatable real-world stories that reinforce the powerful visual storytelling principles.
We talked to Shlomi in the days just prior to Miami’s 2nd wave in the Coronavirus pandemic about the value that visual storytelling can have on pro-social initiatives such as homelessness. We also discussed the challenges advertisers and brands have at capturing our attention and some tips for accomplishing that.
We were also introduced to the concept of Social Semiotics, the way communication tools vary in social settings and context.
Links
Shlomi Ron: http://www.shlomiron.com
Visual Storytelling Institute: http://www.visualstorytell.com
1000 Miami Stories: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=%231000MiamiStories
“Total Acuity: Tales with Marketing Morals”: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZCCM11F?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420
Dove Beauty Sketches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=litXW91UauE
Justin Trudeau Pause: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79nHwsqQNBA
Audi 3-Hour Ambient Travel Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqYFgqN_q-w
Scrubs Television Show on Hand Washing: https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2020/3/18/21184967/coronavirus-covid-19-scrubs-clip-infection-spreads
Death of George Floyd: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html
“Visual Grammar: A Design Handbook” by Christian Leborg: https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Grammar-Design-Briefs-Christian/dp/1568985819
Social Semiotics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_semiotics
Snapchat Logo: https://support.snapchat.com/en-US/a/ghost-logo-usage
Avenue3 Miami 1001 Stories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRtM2mTjoH8&feature=youtu.be
“The Good The Bad & The Ugly”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1PfrmCGFnk
Common Biases & Heuristics: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XHpBr0VFcaT8wIUpr-9zMIb79dFMgOVFRxIZRybiftI/edit?usp=sharing
Music vs. Words for Memory: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2004-13047-013
Call and Response Songs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_and_response_(music)
Musical Links
Tori Amos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ipCKIxdHTs
Sunday Jul 26, 2020
Sunday Jul 26, 2020
Stephen Wendel, PhD is an applied behavioral scientist who studies how digital products can help people take action more effectively. He currently serves as Head of Behavioral Science at Morningstar, leading a team of behavioral scientists and practitioners who conduct original research on saving and investment behavior.
Steve has authored “Designing for Behavior Change,” “Improving Employee Benefits,” and “Spiritual Design.” He is also a co-founder of the non-profit Action Design Network that focuses on educating the public on how to apply behavioral research to product development with monthly events in fifteen cities.
In our conversation, we talked about epistemic humility, which is a cool concept that was new to both Kurt and Tim. We also discussed a few of our favorite topics including the role of behavioral science in the corporate world, the ethical application of behavioral science, and how important context is to … well, everything.
We hope you enjoy our conversation with Steve and encourage you to take a moment to leave a review or check out our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves.
© 2020 Behavioral Grooves
Links
Stephen Wendell, PhD: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sawendel/
BehavioralTechnology.co: https://www.behavioraltechnology.co/
Stephen Wendell, PhD, “Designing for Behavior Change”: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089VDCG8C/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=sawendel-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B089VDCG8C&linkId=9eb146b1f7ac7c968bc2bc2c2bdeb6c1#ace-6308736939
Cass Sunstein: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cass_Sunstein
Wendy Wood, PhD: https://www.marshall.usc.edu/personnel/wendy-wood
Dan Ariely, “Honest Truth About Dishonesty”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Honest_Truth_about_Dishonesty
Irish Bohnet, “What Works”: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674089037
Musical Links
Shakira: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUT5rEU6pqM
Daddy Yankee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGIm0-dQd8M
Raggaeton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJXkYF-Oscg
Christian Contemporary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjzLN8uYCig
Johnny Cash: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5126CibNsk
Merle Haggard “She Still Thinks I Still Care”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dx3rS2N8yE
Sunday Jul 19, 2020
Sunday Jul 19, 2020
[NOTE: This episode is republished from #50 in January 2019.]
Robert Cialdini, PhD is counted among the greatest psychological researchers alive today and his published works have been cited thousands of times. His New York Times best-selling book, Influence, from 1984, is considered a classic for classroom and corporate use alike. He is an ardent author and a passionate professor, and his work has impacted millions. In short, Bob Cialdini has shaped the landscape of how sales and marketing workers do their jobs and how researchers frame their studies.
In this episode of Behavioral Grooves, Bob took a few minutes to discuss some of his most underappreciated research and some of the new things he’s working on. We began with a study that used littering as a way to predict, before the polls closed, the outcome of an election by watching how voters treated candidate fliers left on their cars. One of the very elegant aspects of this study was that it required no surveys – merely the observation of behaviors in the parking lots of the polling places. The question the researchers sought to answer was this: How do voters treat the fliers of candidates they favor and of those they oppose? More specifically, do voters keep fliers from candidates they like and litter with the fliers of candidates they dislike?
Then, our conversation moved to a line of research that he’d investigated for over a decade: the motivations for pro-social behavior, such as giving to those in need. Bob reminds us that there are many motivators at play when one person helps out another, as when a passerby gives money to some asking for money on the street, but there is one motivator that stands out: egoism. Many of us believe that being charitable is an obligation or is driven by guilt, and while that is true to some degree, Bob’s collective research over more than a dozen years revealed that egoism, that selfish desire to feel good about ourselves, is at the heart of helping others.
Then we went a step farther. Bob noted that helping others is more likely to occur when the person in need appears to be in-group or in-tribe. In other words, we’re more likely to be charitable if it appears the person asking for help is “like me.” The primary way we decide if someone is like us is to look at how they’re dressed. What kind of clothes are they wearing? In his studies, Bob found that soccer (football) fans were more likely to assist someone on the street if they were wearing the jersey of their favorite team. It’s unnerving to think that the clothes you wear could determine whether someone helps you or not.
In our grooving session, Kurt and Tim discussed the impact of social identity and self-identity. We discussed articles by Michael Hogg and Roy Baumeister. We brought in books by Harvard Professor Teresa Amabile and Dan Levitan’s great treatise on the neurological effects of music. And on music, we chatted about how music makes us feel and we cited Semisonic’s “Closing Time” and Beethoven’s 5th Symphony as examples.
Lastly, Bob is interested in hearing from YOU! He’d like listeners to send reports on how the principles of influence are being used in the real world to be included in his next book. If you’d like to be considered for his next work, please send your stories to info@influenceatwork.com
We hope you enjoy our discussion with Bob Cialdini
© 2020 Behavioral Grooves
Sponsor: The Creative Group, Inc.
This episode is brought to you by Creative Group Inc. Kurt and Tim have worked with CGI and have found that their process of co-creation of incentive program provides clients with more robust solutions. Because their incentive and employee engagement programs are co-created, they reflect the truest aspects of the client’s organization and culture. CGI shares our belief that incentives and rewards shouldn’t be used to create brand mercenaries – but instead, should be about creating brand missionaries. Check them out at https://www.creativegroupinc.com/.
A Note of Gratitude
We are grateful to Bob for sharing his insights with us in this very fun conversation. However, it wouldn’t have happened without the concerted effort of Bobette Gordon. We thank her for her coordination and support to make put make our conversation with Bob a reality.
Links
Robert Cialdini, PhD and Influence at Work: https://www.influenceatwork.com/
The Principle of Continuation in Gestalt Psychology. The Continuity Principle: http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Gestalt_principles#Continuity_principle
Daniel Levitin: This is Your Brain on Music. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Your_Brain_on_Music
Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). “The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation,” Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497–529.
Festinger, L. (1954). “A theory of social comparison processes,” Human Relations, 7, 117–140.
Hogg, M. A. (2001). “Social categorization, depersonalization, and group behavior. In M. A. Hogg & R. S. Tindale (Eds.), Blackwell handbook of social psychology: Group processes (pp. 56–85). Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Walton, G., Cohen, G., Cwir, D., and Spencer, S. (2012) “Mere Belonging: The Power of Social Connections,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,, Vol. 102, No. 3, 513–532.
Amabile, T., Kramer, S., Williams, S. (2011) The Progress Principle, Harvard Business Review Press.
Aretha Franklin: “Think” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsL9UL9qbv8
Semisonic: “Closing Time” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGytDsqkQY
Ludwig von Beethoven: “5th Symphony” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxF7hDsU-HY
Cassette tape: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassette_tape
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
[NOTE: This episode is republished from #74 in June 2019.]
This episode is a discussion on the principle of scarcity. Kurt and Tim attempt to illuminate the power of this very fundamental effect in behavioral science with some real-world examples. Simply put, the scarcity effect is that people want more of those things they can have less of. It’s terribly powerful and is evident in many aspects of our lives.
“Sale ends tomorrow” is one of the strongest tools in a marketer’s handbook, and Kurt and Tim discuss that and others and the ways they impact behavior. We also talk about the implications of scarcity and how scarcity helps us prioritize and can actually increase focus in our lives.
This episode is the third in our series on the Principles of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini, PhD. The other principles from Cialdini’s work have been discussed in previous episodes and you can check them out at the Behavioral Grooves website. The principle of Reciprocity was overviewed in episode #57 and the principle of Consistency was discussed through the lens of politicians and politics in episode #49. Please check them out if you’re interested in Cialdini’s Persuasion Principles.
Also, please leave us a quick rating and review. We benefit greatly from your support and you only have a few minutes left to do it today!
© 2020 Behavioral Grooves
Links
Principles of Persuasion – Robert Cialdini, PhD: https://www.influenceatwork.com/principles-of-persuasion/
Stephen Worchel, Jerry Lee & Akanbi Adawole, (1975) “Effects of supply and demand on ratings of object value” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32(5), 906-914. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1976-03817-001
Sendhil Mullainathan& Eldar Shafir, (2013) Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much, Times Books. https://www.amazon.com/Scarcity-Having-Little-Means-Much/dp/0805092641/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Tim Urban blog: Wait But Why? https://waitbutwhy.com/
Kurt Nelson: @motivationguru and https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtwnelson/
Tim Houlihan: @THoulihan and https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-houlihan-b-e/
Check out the Behavioral Grooves website: https://behavioralgrooves.com/
Sunday Jul 12, 2020
Sunday Jul 12, 2020
[NOTE: This is a republished episode from #99 in November 2019.]
Katy Milkman is no ordinary behavioral scientist. She’s a Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions at Wharton. She has a secondary faculty appointment in the University of Pennsylvania’s Medical School in the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy. She’s Co-Director, with Angela Duckworth, at the non-profit Behavior Change for Good Initiative. She’s the host of one of our favorite podcasts, called Choiceology, she is in the middle of writing a book, and she’s a Mom and Partner all at the same time!
We are grateful to her for taking time to record a conversation with us about her work on temptation bundling, the sorts of projects she’s getting at the Behavior Change for Good organization, and a few tidbits about what her book, coming out in 2021, will have in store for the readers.
Most importantly, Katy shared three important pieces of wisdom about behavior change during our conversation: 1. Behavior change is hard – cut yourself some slack. 2. We humans are not built to do the right thing all the time. 3. Just keep trying.
© 2020 Behavioral Grooves
Links
Katy Milkman, PhD: http://www.katherinemilkman.com/
Katy Milkman – Twitter: @katy_milkman
Behavior Change for Good: https://bcfg.wharton.upenn.edu/
Choiceology podcast: https://www.schwab.com/resource-center/insights/podcast
Temptation Bundling: https://mayooshin.com/temptation-bundling/
Fresh Start Effect: https://faculty.wharton.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Dai_Fresh_Start_2014_Mgmt_Sci.pdf
Charles Duhigg: https://charlesduhigg.com/
BJ Fogg Maui Habit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L1R7OtJhWs
Robert Cialdini, PhD: https://www.robertcialdinibf.com/
Francesca Gino, PhD: https://francescagino.com/
Angela Duckworth, PhD: https://angeladuckworth.com/
Kurt Nelson: kurt@lanterngroup.com
Tim Houlihan: tim@behavioralchemy.com
Wednesday Jul 08, 2020
Wednesday Jul 08, 2020
[NOTE: This episode is republished from #92 in October 2019.]
Goals are often misunderstood. Goals are much more than just objectives that are handed down to subordinates. Rather, goals are self-determined in the best cases, and at the very least, are set collaboratively to get the most out of them.
We discuss Goal Setting Theory (GST), results from research that Tim conducted, and we address the three key elements that must be included to maximize the effect of the goals: 1. The goals must be perceived as achievable. Without perceived achievability, the goal is not accepted and, therefore, not a goal. 2. There must be some involvement with those who are executing the goals. If the goal is handed down from on high without meaningful participation from the person who’s going to act on it, it’s not a goal. 3. There must be a positive relationship between the goal and the reward (including a perceived assessment of risk). As the risk of achievability increases, so must the perceived value of the reward.
This short grooving session also delves into some myths and how to deal with them. Ultimately, we want listeners to come away with a clear understanding of the powerful results than can be obtained with practical and effective use of self-selected goals.
Links
Zig Ziglar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zig_Ziglar
Goal-Setting Theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goal_setting
Edward Locke: https://peakon.com/us/blog/future-work/edwin-locke-goal-setting-theory/
Gary Latham: http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/FacultyAndResearch/Faculty/FacultyBios/Latham
Howard Klein: https://fisher.osu.edu/people/klein.12
Ran Kivetz: https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/cbs-directory/detail/rk566
George Loewenstein: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/sds/people/faculty/george-loewenstein.html
Saurabh Bhargava: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/sds/people/faculty/saurabh-bhargava.html
Raghuram Bommaraju: https://www.isb.edu/faculty-research/faculty/directory/bommaraju-raghuram