A gentle nudge
in the right direction
Nudging to guide choices
You don’t always have the time or space to make informed choices. The immediate environment therefore plays a major role. Not only other people, but also images, smells and colors influence your behavior without you realizing it. Nudging means gently pushing toward desired behavior. Think of the smell of freshly baked bread in the supermarket, candy at the eye level of children or baking an apple pie when selling a house. It makes a choice just a little more appealing, without a person consciously sensing that the behavior is being directed.
How does our brain think?
Fortunately, many choices are automatic. You don’t have to spend five minutes deciding which hand to pick up your coffee cup with. You’re more likely to drink it cold than hot. Big choices do take more time. They don’t happen in a split second. Our brain switches between two systems:
The intuitive or automatic system
This system responds quickly. It is influenced by how choices are offered. Here a gentle nudge has room to have an effect. It involves impulse behavior or automatic actions without conscious consideration.
The reflective or controlling system
This system moves more slowly. It examines, weighs options and reflects. You use it with complicated issues or choices that have more impact.
Nudging in the workplace
Nudging plays on the difference between intention and behavior. You want to demonstrate certain behaviors, but there is a barrier blocking that. The workplace is a place where that often happens. There are many stimuli, deadlines and cognitive load. As a result, employees are more likely to switch back to automatic responses. The intuitive system takes charge.
Tips for responding to this:
- Provide a default option. People often stick with the default because it takes less effort. With that, you can subtly direct behavior.
- Simplify your message. In text and in images. By putting less strain on working memory, the core sticks faster.
- Make it attractive. Playful or creative choices encourage behavior. Consider a piano staircase that makes people more likely to take the stairs. Authority also works: people like to be influenced by someone who exudes knowledge.
Timing is key
Changing behavior and instilling a new habit takes time. It is often more effective to give a push at a time when someone is in transition anyway, such as the start of a new project. Then someone is more open to adapting. Breaking down big goals into smaller steps also works. Each step provides an experience of progress, which motivates!
Want to know more about nudging and its effect on our brain? Then watch this animation from the faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Utrecht University.
