It’s been 15 years since a particular concept of behavioural science went mainstream. “Nudge theory”, the notion that our behaviour can be successfully influenced through “soft” interventions, has subsequently appealed to plenty of people seeking to change the way we live.
The 2008 book which set out the idea – Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth and Happiness – sold more than 2 million copies. But its influence went way beyond sales figures.
The authors – behavioural economist Richard Thaler and law professor Cass Sunstein – inspired powerful politicians, including former US president Barack Obama and former UK prime minister David Cameron to set up government teams with the specific remit of incorporating nudge theory into public policy.
These “nudge units” became widespread, with recent research suggesting there are now over 200 of them around the world. But while teams of policymakers appear happy to have been taking their “nudge-pills”, making small changes to our decision-making processes, the success of those carefully designed nudges is by no means universally agreed.