Behavioral Science VS coronavirus
How can behavioral science encourage desired behavior during covid-19?
Nudges are “any aspect of choice architecture that alters people’s behavior in a predictable way, without forbidding any option […].” They are an alternative to rigid restrictions and can help influencing behavior in areas where it is difficult to impose rules.
This article explores how nudges can be used to encourage desired behavior during the covid-19 outbreak — from the Happy Birthday song to a Toilet Paper calculator, we will describe 6 surprising and creative tricks.
I. Sing a song
You heard it a million times — washing your hands is an effective way to prevent being infected by covid-19. But who really counts up to the 30 seconds required ? If you do so, either you are a trained surgeon, or you score in the 99th percentile for ‘Conscienciousness” in the Big Five test. For normal people, there is a solution: the Happy Birthday song.
Singing the song twice lasts about 30s; washing one’s hands for the duration of the song not only provides a practical rule-of-thumb, it also makes it more fun to comply to the rule. If you cringe at the idea of singing that in your head, check this compilation of 30-seconds songs. Now, you have no excuse.
Note: I stumbled upon an Instagram post prompting people to “Wash your hands like you just cut chili peppers and you have to put on your lenses”. It’s brilliant and I have no doubt about the effectiveness— but it seemed somewhat wrong to propose that.
II. 70% people stay inside (and celebrities too)
Marketers have known this trick for a long time, which is why it’s not uncommon to see claims such as “most people prefer Luckies cigarettes” or “80% mums recommend Pampers”. Peer pressure is a powerful nudge; humans are social creatures and often experience herd mentality, whether they are conscious about it or not. In the present case, stating that “X% people stay home” or simply informing that most people practice self-isolation has a significant effect on behavior.
In addition, positive incentives work better than orders. In our case, there’s a good chance “X% people stay home” will outperform the typical “Don’t go out!”.
Another form of social nudge uses the influence of celebrities. In the infamous Milgram’s study, an experimenter (figure of authority) asks participants to perform an action that contradicts ethical principles. Among other findings, two factors led to attitude change:
- having role models that obey the orders increased the level of obedience
- more credible, attractive communicators led to more attitude change
Seeing other citizens — especially charismatic individuals whom we admire, such as celebrities — comply to the rules increases our desire to do so.
III. How Much Toilet Paper?
In France, when the government announced the upcoming quarantine, people rushed to the stores and stocked up on toilet paper. Weeks later, memes were circulating on the Internet, mocking the hoarders.
Now, 1 month into self-isolation, the items actually missing from the shelves are flour and eggs. This situation illustrates many human mistakes: the failure to predict which items would be out of stock and to properly prioritize purchases; the unecessary panic caused by a mistaken assumption that if something is likely to happen (a shortage), it’s definitely going to happen; and most importantly, the assumption that they would need 75 packs of paper roll for 2 months. Retailers had no choice but to restrict purchases to 1–2 packs per household.
Humans are bad with statistics and estimations, especially when we’re experiencing a cognitive bias. This is even more true in high-pressure situations where decisions don’t necessarily derive from a rational thought process. A nudge is certainly welcome.
One solution I propose is to provide rule-of-thumbs for highly sought-after items, such as toilet paper, hand soap, disinfectants… An in-store display could indicate how long an item typically lasts: “One pack of toilet paper lasts for 36 days — or 229% of your quarantine”. This amazing website, How Much Toilet Paper, helped me come out with the numbers. The approach would appeal to the rational mind of the consumer, help them estimate realistic needs and nudge them to buy only the necessary amount.
IV. Getting Feedback
Picture this. You are at a street crossing, the light is red, you spot the pedestrian button and you push it, expecting something to happen. But nothing. So you push it again and again, your frustration growing by the second. You ask yourself whether you should just cross at red light and seriously wonder if those buttons actually do something.
This is an example of poor design by lack of feedback. When we do not have a clear validation of our actions nor the reassurance that it had an impact, we engage in irrational behavior (hopelessly hammering the button). If this happens too often, we may even start doubting the effects of such action and consider more risky options (crossing the road while the light is red).
Weeks of self-isolation not only cause anxiety, it can also generate negative emotions if people do not see the consequences of their sacrifices. A great nudge would be to show the concrete impact of people’s actions, for example with intuitive, impacting visualizations.
We can distinguish two types of communication.
- The first option consists in visualizing consequences of individual actions, like this amazing Washington Post animation showing the chain-reaction caused by a single sick individual. The message is powerful and clear: one single infected person can cause devastating damages — and this sick person could be anyone. This acts as a deterent.
- The second option involves showing how our contribution (staying home) helps the community. It acts like feedback and is positive and encouraging. For example, a classic ‘flatten the curve’ graph.
VI. Nudge yourself
Cognitive sciences can be used by organizations such as governments or corporations to nudge people towards desirable behavior for the common good without imposing restrictions. Turns out, you can also nudge yourself!
While “Tips for working from home during the Coronavirus outbreak” are pouring down the web, I have one surprisingly useful, yet overlooked trick.
When I wear a gym outfit, I am more excited about exercising and I stay longer on the treadmill/yoga mat. Drawing from this observation, my intuition is that wearing formal clothes during work hours would produce the same effect; it would put me in the right mental state and help my unconscious mind structure the day, setting clear boundaries between “work” and “relax”.
‘’Changing my clothing helps me make that transition to the second part of my daily life, from professional to parent, spouse, family member, community member […]’’ — Mr. Sterk, the New York Times
During a conversation with some friends, we discussed tips and tricks for working from home while self-isolating— turns out a few of us have had the same idea! So I looked up for research confirming our intuition. Indeed, a study from published in 2016 shows that wearing formal clothes helps with cognitive tasks, such as abstract thinking or conceptual processing. So dress up!
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Sources
- Nudge - Improving decisions about health, wealth and happiness, R.H Thaler & C.Sunstein
- Research paper on Social Influence and Power: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259967529_Social_influence_and_power/link/5527eff00cf2779ab78b0752/download
- The Design of Everyday Things, D.Norman
- Research paper on The Cognitive Consequences of Formal Clothing: http://www.columbia.edu/~ms4992/Publications/2015_Slepian-Ferber-Gold-Rutchick_Clothing-Formality_SPPS.pdf
- Changing clothes, and personality, The New York Times, Francine Parnes, Oct. 7, 2001
