Behavioral Insights (The MIT Press Essential Knowledge)

An accessible introduction to the behavioral insights approach, which applies evidence about human behavior to practical problems.

Much of our behavior is influenced by factors that lie outside our conscious awareness; our decisions are often made not after careful deliberation (as is commonly assumed) but driven by cues in our environment. The behavioral systems approach applies evidence about actual human behavior—rather than assumptions about it—to practical problems. It is increasingly used by governments and businesses, which have discovered that a subtle "nudge" sometimes works better than an explicit rule. This volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series offers an accessible introduction to behavioral insights, describing core features, origins, and practical examples.