Encourage People to Change Behaviour in Beneficial Ways | Susan Michie

Behavioral science has found that we don’t always act rationally or in our best interest, and simply being told what we need to do doesn’t work.

Many problems our society faces—climate change, poor health, and depleted natural resources—require us to change the way we live. To combat climate change, we need to use less fossil fuel. To reduce obesity, we need to eat less and move more. To reduce lung cancer, we need to stop smoking. The list goes on.

So if we know what to do, why aren’t these problems solved? Understanding how people make decisions can help us design interventions that encourage behavior change in beneficial ways. However, there is an important balance to strike between personal freedom and supporting people in leading better lives.

Susan Michie is a Professor of Health Psychology and Director of the Centre for Behaviour Change at UCL. Her research focuses on developing the science of behavior change interventions and applying behavioral science in real-world contexts.

Nick Chater has authored over 200 publications, has won four national awards for psychological research, and has served as Associate Editor for journals including Cognitive Science, Psychological Review, and Psychological Science.

Toby Park leads the energy and sustainability work at the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), covering topics such as domestic energy use, sustainable transport, and other pro-environmental behaviors like recycling, food consumption, air quality, and water conservation.