Approaching Day Zero, the people in Cape Town South Africa were conserving water by singing two minute shower songs and using 50 liters (13 gallons) a day.…
Six Facts About How Supermarkets Influence What We Buy
These six facts tell us how our supermarket shopping can be influenced by much more than the shopping list we bring with us.…
The Real Problem With Facebook’s Business Model
To understand the problem with Facebook’s ad revenue business model, we can just look at the role played by price as an incentive.…
The Behavioral Nudges That Our Trains and Planes Give Us
The best designed railway stations and airports have behavioral nudges that travelers don’t even know they are following.…
How Our Tipping Behavior is Changing
When we last looked at tipping, we said that it was a way to impress people (like Seinfeld’s George, below). Also we might be expressing altruism or just saying thank you for good service. But b…
When Organ Donors Need More Than a Nudge
Sometimes increasing deceased organ donations takes more than a nudge because of the behind-the-scene details that are necessary.…
Undigestible Food (Studies)
Because of research replication issues and questionable data, many academic papers need more rigor from their authors and skepticism from their readers.…
Our Taxi Tips
For every cab ride, NYC records the place, time, fare (and the tip if a credit card is used). Using the taxi database, Gawker was able to figure out Kourtney Kardashian’s and Judd Apatow’s…
A Big Problem That Needs a Little Nudge
Whether increasing tax compliance or discouraging public urination, behavioral economics can encourage socially desirable behavior with the right nudges.…
The Nudge Toward a Goldilocks Savings Rate
We need to raise the low U.S. savings rate with new incentives like a lottery on savings deposits because households and business investment need savings.…