Nudge Theory

If someone told you that you don’t have to hold your mouth and open your legs in pain to lose weight, just changing a few bowls can greatly improve your probability of losing weight successfully, what would be your first reaction? Don’t you think it’s ridiculous? But in fact, this technique has been scientifically verified, and the scientist who studied this phenomenon also won the Nobel Prize in Economics. He is behavioral economist Professor Richard Thaler. The theory he proposed is called nudge theory. This theory believes that 90% of our decisions are made unconsciously and are habitual reactions accumulated in the past. If you rely on will to change, there will be great resistance, but if you can use a clever way to bypass the will and directly change the subconscious decision, the process will be much easier. Through some careful design, without relying on coercive means, no hard rules, without changing the reward and punishment mechanism, and without interfering with the will, the environment can form a push and push you to make the best choice. This is the essence of the nudge theory. Research shows that just by changing the large bowl you eat into a small bowl, you can eat nearly 1/3 less at each meal, and you won't feel hungry.

There are many such examples. Nudge theory has become an important theory in the field of behavior change, guiding the design of many behavior change strategies. For example, by setting up a savings account for smokers and donating the money in the account to charity if they smoke, surveys show that simply opening a bank account can increase the success rate of quitting smoking by 53%. If junk food is simply placed further away and healthy food closer in the restaurant, customers' intake of junk food28 can be reduced. Placing books in a more conspicuous position can greatly increase children's reading time... There are countless such examples. The small but efficient technology created by the boost theory provides more for people to change. Easy choice.

Nudge theory can not only help us make better personal changes, but its greater application scenario is in the field of public policy. We know that the implementation of a simple public policy will encounter various voices and great resistance. If it is promulgated forcefully, it will definitely cause psychological confrontation among the people. So how can we implement some good policies more effectively and smoothly? The nudge theory can be of great help. One very interesting example occurred in the men's urinal. An airport carved a fly into the urinal of the men's restroom, which attracted men to aim at the fly when they went to the restroom. The phenomenon of peeing outside the urinal was reduced by 80%. This is compared to It would be much more effective to post a lot of sincere persuasive slogans. In some policies involving the interests of the whole people, the nudge theory has the effect of making a huge difference. For example, in the organ donation policy, by setting willingness to donate as the default option, the donation rate can be greatly increased. In education, just sending students 1 piece of college information every week can increase their college enrollment rate by 7%. In terms of energy conservation and environmental protection policies, by providing clear and comparable data charts, it can greatly promote consumers' energy conservation and environmental protection behaviors.

Of course, the nudge theory is useful, and everything has its pros and cons. While we enjoy the benefits it brings to us, we must also be wary of the traps it creates for us. For example, some businesses will take advantage of this theory and everyone's irrational side to deliberately create addictive situations, such as making us buy more unnecessary or unhealthy food, or designing a more addictive game. At this point, nudge theory is doing us harm. While using the nudge theory to create the results we want, we must also maintain a clear awareness and be wary of the nudge traps created by businesses. The nudge theory has great uses, but its positive value can only be exerted when it can be used rationally.