The Brainy Business | Understanding the Psychology of Why People Buy

Latest Episodes:

126. The Most Important Step in Applying Behavioral Economics: Understanding the Problem Nov 13, 2020

Show notes

While researching for my book (which will be coming out in May 2021!) I had the joy of speaking with several dozen amazing people working in applied behavioral science and behavioral economics. People from around the world doing such cool things, wonderful research projects, and so much I'm excited to share with you. You have already been hearing from a lot of them throughout the most recent interviews on the show, and they continue into 2021.

One thing that I found from interviewing so many people about their work is that even when there are different frameworks/names for the approach/unique models for applying behavioral science, most everyone agrees on one thing: where most businesses or entities go wrong is at the very beginning.

When you are trying to solve a problem (or want to apply behavioral economics to nudge behavior or help people make better decisions), many of the projects fail or don't get off the ground because there isn't enough time spent identifying the real problem.

This first crucial step is what we are going to be talking about today, to help you as you think about applying behavioral economics in your own business, and I'll share some of the same tips I give to my own clients and students in this process (and, also, this is a sneak peek into some of what you'll find in my book…which I am absolutely bursting to be able to give you all the details about…but I have to wait a little longer…soon!)

Alright...let's talk about that most important step in applying behavioral economics: Identifying the problem.

Show Notes:

[01:51] Today I am going to discuss the importance of understanding the problem–the first crucial step when applying behavioral economics in your own business.
[02:21] Thank you to all the listeners who voted in the first-ever Habit Weekly Awards, which were announced last week. The Brainy Business won for the best YouTube Channel in behavioral science!
[04:23] It is really easy to find the right answer to the wrong question. When you don't invest enough in finding the right question, you end up putting a lot of effort, time, money, and other resources into fixing something that isn't going to actually get at the root of the behavior.
[05:47] I've talked about questionstorming several times on the show before (you all know how much I love questions!) Great questions are AMAZINGLY powerful, and in general, people don't spend enough time asking questions.
[07:44] The people who change the world think longer about the problem before they start fixing them. If you want to make change happen and do amazing things, one of the best ways to do that is to spend more time thinking about problems instead of just accepting the first or second thing you think is wrong.
[10:07] Revisiting how The Littery proved that their incorporation of behavioral economics and working with the brain got people to willingly throw away and properly sort their garbage.
[11:59] Change doesn't have to be hard. Changing the natural rules of the subconscious brain that have been developing for generations is hard. Understanding them and working with those habits can make it so seemingly insurmountable changes become easy.
[13:04] When you use your conscious brain to try to explain to people how they should change their habitual behavior within the subconscious, logic isn't gonna do it. You need to understand what DOES motivate people, like a lottery, and incorporate it into the behavior so it is easy for them to change.
[14:34] By taking a step back and really thinking about the way the brain works and how to align with it you are able to make it so change is much easier than it seems on the surface.
[16:36] Being curious and asking good questions allows me to appeal to the subconscious brain. I can learn about the situation while helping them feel valued and involved in the process. Taking those few extra moments to understand the problem makes all the difference.
[17:21] Even when someone asks you explicitly for something, or you are sure you know the root of a problem, it can usually benefit from a little more thoughtfulness.
[18:42] When you consider the problem in a vacuum or assume the problem you see is the only true problem, you will often end up finding that right answer to the wrong question.
[20:13] Simple changes can make a huge difference in adoption and satisfaction when you take the time to fully evaluate and understand the problem.
[22:51] Give yourself permission to spend longer thinking about problems. Reflect on them, ask questions, and poke holes in them.
[24:15] For now, just focus on finding one thing a day where you can challenge an existing belief or problem.
[24:46] Don't forget to take advantage of the year-end sale going on now.

Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

Let's connect:

More from The Brainy Business:

Master Your Mindset Mini-Course
BE Thoughtful Revolution - use code BRAINY to save 10%
Get Your FREE ebook
Melina's John Mayer Pandora Station! Listen to what she listens to while working.
Special Year-End Sale 👈🏻🥳

Past Episodes and Other Important Links:

125. How to Approach and Implement Behavioral Insights, an Interview with Michael Hallsworth Nov 06, 2020

Show notes

In today's episode, I'm excited to introduce you to Dr. Michael Hallsworth, managing director at Behavioral Insights Team North America and co-author of the new book, Behavioral Insights.

Before that, he led their global work on health and tax for five years. Michael was previously a Senior Policy Advisor in the Cabinet Office of the UK government and has in-depth experience in both policy development and service delivery for national governments and international organizations. He has also been a leading figure in developing the field of applying behavioral science to government, having authored several influential frameworks such as EAST, Behavioral Government, and the MINDSPACE report (which has been cited more than 800 times to date). His work has been published in The Lancet, the Journal of Public Economics, Nature Human Behaviour, and more.

His new book, Behavioral Insights, which was co-authored with Elspeth Kirkman and published by the MIT Press, was released in September. When you get yours, if you opt for the physical version, you'll see it's this adorable little pocket-sized version of a book. A little smaller than most these days and it has really great full-bleed callout pages.

Michael has worked on so many amazing projects over the years, I'm honored he is sharing some of them with us today--and some great tips for approaching your own research and testing, based on their book Behavioral Insights.

Show Notes:

[00:46] Today I'm excited to introduce you to Dr. Michael Hallsworth, managing director at Behavioral Insights Team North America.
[03:48] About ten years ago Michael started working in an organization that was all about how you apply evidence to improve the way government works.
[05:43] The Behavioral Insights Team includes 200 people across the world including Sydney, Paris, New York, and Toronto. They take behavioral science and try to improve the way policies and services are designed and the way government works.
[07:51] Michael shares a project he is really proud of that relates to antibiotics prescribing in the UK.
[09:35] They found a 1% decline in antibiotic prescribing at the end just by sending a letter from England's Chief Medical Officer and giving information based on social norms.
[10:29] In Australia, they built on the antibiotic project. Bec Weeks shared about this in her interview on the show (episode 119). It has also been done in Italy and other countries as well.
[12:21] On Generalizability: They have seen studies with surprisingly similar results, but that isn't always the case.
[13:36] The key is trying to have that productive tension between retaining the active ingredient that worked, but adapting it so it continues to work elsewhere.
[14:36] Testing is very important. We may see something that works across the board, but we still should be questioning it and looking at what is different in other scenarios.
[16:01] Most of the frameworks they share in the book have some aspects in common around identifying the goals and behavior upfront and then going deeper to understand what is happening.
[16:59] Then they try to come up with interventions that attempt to address the factors you have seen. Then you should do the implementation and testing of those solutions or interventions.
[17:19] Rather than just stopping at the result phase, ask "How might we take this result and help it be used elsewhere?"
[18:37] The ten-stage framework in the book takes you through all these different steps from start to solution.
[20:01] Michael shares a story about a policy project where they implemented a higher-level strategy around the sugar drink tax in the UK.
[22:01] It is very important to understand the problem and ask the right questions before you start implementing things.
[23:25] They discuss the "macaroni and cheese study" by Barbara Rolls about portion size.
[25:48] Micheal shares about their rapid trials with cities for communicating urgent messages to their residents during the pandemic.
[27:47] They looked at the best way of communicating proper face masks.
[29:30] The Behavioral Insights Team has worked on a lot of different projects. He recalls a carpooling project he worked on which had no effect.
[29:54] They publish an annual report and they are very open about projects that didn't get a result because it may point towards the fact that a bigger intervention is needed.
[31:04] If all we ever see is what goes really well or what was successful and don't look at anything that wasn't, it just creates a completely different perspective on the field and sets things up differently.
[32:23] At the end of the book they talk about bigger policy issues and their criticisms of the approaches. They try to explain these issues and give ways forward.
[34:01] At the beginning of the book they talk about the 3 Pillars of Behavioral Insights.
[36:39] It was awesome to learn about the way the Behavioral Insights Team may approach problems so those looking to apply behavioral economics within their business have a framework that could work well for them as well.
[37:24] Don't forget to check out the year-end sale going on now.

Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

Let's connect:

More from The Brainy Business:

Master Your Mindset Mini-Course
BE Thoughtful Revolution - use code BRAINY to save 10%
Get Your FREE ebook
Melina's John Mayer Pandora Station! Listen to what she listens to while working.
Special Year-End Sale 👈🏻🥳

Past Episodes and Other Important Links:

124. Unleash Your Primal Brain, An Interview with Tim Ash Oct 30, 2020

Show notes

Today I am so excited to introduce you to Tim Ash, his new book Unleash Your Primal Brain is currently available on presale, to officially launch in April 2021, but everyone listening now can order it direct from Tim using the links in the show notes and you'll get an autographed copy, which is pretty darn cool!

Early praise from the book has come from Robert Cialdini, Jay Baer, Phil Barden, Will Leach, Roger Dooley, and Nir Eyal (recognize some of those names from past episodes of the show?).

Forbes has named Tim a Top-10 Online Marketing Expert, and he was also named an Online Marketing Influencer to Watch by Entrepreneur Magazine. He had his own podcast, has published over 100 articles, and spoken at more than 200 conferences around the world. His past clients include Google, Expedia, eHarmony, Facebook, American Express, Canon, Nestle, Symantec, Intuit, Costco, and many more. I think it's safe to say, Tim knows his stuff and I'm honored to have him with me here today.

You know there are a lot of past concepts that will come up today (including last week's intentionally planned episode on brain chemicals…totally ties in with understanding the primal brain!) and they're all linked for you in the details below!

Show Notes:

[00:42] Today I am so excited to introduce you to Tim Ash, his new book Unleash Your Primal Brain is currently available on presale, to officially launch in April 2021.
[03:39] Tim's interest and fascination with the brain started very early and were a huge part of his college studies.
[05:43] Brains didn't just pop into existence. We are the product of evolution and in order to understand us, you have to understand the whole evolutionary art.
[06:42] Sophisticated brains are at least 500 million years old.
[07:18] Insects and animals need brains because we are in a world of movement; brains are really only to help us think fast enough to survive in the environment (which is why plants don't need brains but still develop adaptive tendencies).
[07:58] The brain is a very energy-intensive system.
[08:29] The body is balancing between digestive, voluntary movement, and the brain. When you run out of energy you need sleep and rest.
[09:08] Whenever we are not doing computation or planning tasks, we default to modeling our environment.
[11:26] One of the key insights in Tim's book is understanding that we made an evolutionary bet on culture spread. We can learn more from our surrounding tribe by copying than we can ever in a lifetime of direct experience. That gives us our tribal edge.
[13:38] We are born covered in fat and we use that fat to isolate the neurons in the brain so there's no cross-talk or electrical issues.
[15:15] We get enjoyment by helping others and transmitting knowledge.
[18:09] One of the huge puzzles that needed to be unlocked from an evolutionary standpoint was "Who (and what) do I learn from?" We want to learn from successful examples.
[19:13] We are wired to learn from people that are most like us.
[21:17] Once somebody locks into a tribe it is very hard to have them accept other views. A big task is pulling towards the center and somehow having a larger circle of empathy.
[23:19] When employees embrace different teams (creating silos) they make it more difficult for the business to be successful.
[25:06] Thinking we are individuals and our happiness matters is a very western idea. Most of the world thinks more communally.
[27:06] We are hypersocial animals with a need for connection. The worst thing you can do to somebody is isolate them.
[28:46] Isolation literally drives us insane.
[29:37] As teenagers, you are transferring your allegiance from your parents to your larger group of peers. Parents have less influence than their peers.
[32:36] We do a lot of our brain development out of the womb when it really should be prenatal. It is really important to make the first five years solid from a nutritional, sleep, and social attachment standpoint because you can't undo it later in life.
[33:29] Direct experience with other people and forcing them to walk a mile in other peoples' shoes is your best bet for creating good humans.
[34:08] Primarily storytelling is to simulate experience and do things we can't directly do. The other unestimated reason for storytelling is to maintain cohesion and the values of our tribe so knowledge spreads faster.
[35:30] The cultural package determines how we examine and experience the same story.
[38:41] Tim's book really helps us understand the brain and how that ties into marketing, messages, interpersonal relationships, and more.
[40:35] Tim wrote his book to explain the why behind the brain and behaviors. If you want to understand the why behind the brain, you have to see how it all evolved.
[41:23] Grab Tim's book here and get an autographed copy (limited time offer).
[42:25] It is so important to understand genetics and history to really understand behavior.
[44:22] If you haven't connected with me yet, please do! I love to give shout outs and spread the love whenever I can. You can find me, Melina Palmer and follow the company page of The Brainy Business on LinkedIn, and I'm on all the other socials as @thebrainybiz.

Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

Let's connect:

More from The Brainy Business:

Master Your Mindset Mini-Course
BE Thoughtful Revolution - use code BRAINY to save 10%
Get Your FREE ebook
Melina's John Mayer Pandora Station! Listen to what she listens to while working.
Special Year-End Sale 👈🏻🥳

Past Episodes and Other Important Links:

123. Get Your D.O.S.E. of Brain Chemicals, a Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode Oct 23, 2020

Show notes

Today is all about the four main feel-good chemicals in the brain and understanding how they work. We will also talk about what drives them so you can boost them for yourself and use them in your business.

You may have noticed that I introduced this as a "DOSE" of brain chemicals, which is more than an off-handed phrasing. In fact "DOSE" is the acronym you can use to remember the four main "feel good" chemicals we will be talking about today: dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins.

These are definitely not the only chemicals in the brain, but they are potentially the most widely talked about associated with happiness, motivation, and "feeling good."

You've heard me mention all four on the show over the years, but I've definitely talked about dopamine the most. Today, I will tell you even more about dopamine while also digging in on the three others. (And, stick around to the end for the announcement of the amazing year-end sale!!)

Show Notes:

[01:09] Today we are talking about the four main "feel good" chemicals: dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. These are definitely not the only chemicals in the brain, but they are potentially the most widely talked about and associated with happiness, motivation, and more.
[02:02] Download your free worksheet to help you remember the DOSE chemicals and how to use them.
[02:54] DOSE is an acronym for the four chemicals we will talk about today. Dopamine is about anticipation, motivation, and goals. Oxytocin is for empathy and social bonding. Serotonin ties in with our mood and pride, and finally endorphins mask pain and are part of that well known "runner's high."
[03:38] We are not meant to be perpetually happy. These chemicals in the brain are not naturally there to make us feel good, but to promote survival.
[05:07] We can get dopamine from anything, including sugar and even drinking water when we are really thirsty. So, it isn't in the drug or food itself, but it is about the drive to obtain the dopamine. The anticipation of the reward is where we get a dopamine release not when we consume the item itself.
[07:34] Our lives these days are a flood of unnatural levels of dopamine: sugar and other junk food, social media feeds, Netflix and other shows to binge watch, video games, notifications on our phones, and more.
[08:33] If you want to make a change and kick some of those unnatural dopamine habits, a detox may be in order.
[10:10] Embrace the boredom to come through on the other side where you give your brain that break and ability to reset the dopamine expectations.
[11:06] Remember, while some mistakenly say dopamine is about pleasure, that's incorrect. It is about desire, motivation, and goal achievement.
[12:35] For more natural dopamine, embrace a new goal (something you may find easier after you do a detox and get rid of some of those unnatural stimulants).
[14:05] Dr. Paul Zak and his team discovered that oxytocin signals to the brain that it is safe to approach someone and that they can be trusted. The release of oxytocin triggers empathy and motivates us to be more cooperative.
[16:08] We get that hit of oxytocin when we stick with the herd and strengthen the bonds we have for others because it keeps us safe and protected.
[16:34] Conversely, when we have had our trust betrayed there are unhappy chemicals released that may cause us to shut down and not want to open ourselves up again.
[17:04] Opening yourself up to trust is key to survival and critical for the oxytocin your brain needs.
[19:12] Serotonin is about confidence, social status, and belief in your own abilities.
[20:13] Going back to the episode on the focusing illusion, whatever you pay attention to and look for is going to seem really important and stand out.
[21:26] Focus on believing in your own value, and celebrate your wins alone and with others.
[22:30] The most important thing to know about endorphins is that they are caused by pain. You need to experience pain to get the endorphins.
[23:45] Pushing our limits a bit to reach new goals, run faster or do more push-ups (or however that translates to your business and career) can be useful but shouldn't be the main focus.
[24:05] There are some safe ways to get an endorphin kick that don't require you to physically injure yourself and they're really quite easy. They are laughing and stretching.
[25:29] One study from Duke University found that 30 minutes of regular exercise three times a week was enough to boost mood as well or better than prescription medications for those who were severely depressed.
[26:33] Cortisol is a bad chemical that is released as a warning when we feel our survival is threatened.
[27:01] If you aren't getting enough of the happy DOSE chemicals, you are likely to feel this one even more and want to mask that bad feeling. But fight that urge! It is important to allow yourself to feel the cortisol and know what your body is trying to tell you.
[28:46] The chemicals in our brains and bodies are there to help us survive, and experiencing them in a more natural way can help us to thrive as well.
[29:13] What is your first step with helping these brain chemicals to work for you? Share it with me on social media.
[29:55] Now is a great time to set some new goals to end 2020 strong and to have a productive and profitable 2021. With that in mind, I want to tell you about a fantastic sale I'm launching now.
[31:01] Laser-focused, 4-hour Deep Dives are here! If you've been looking for the perfect time to work with me 1-on-1… now is the time. Book by year end and get a YEAR FREE in the BE Thoughtful Revolution ($1200 value). Learn more and book your Deep Dive here.

Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

Let's connect:

More from The Brainy Business:

Master Your Mindset Mini-Course
BE Thoughtful Revolution - use code BRAINY to save 10%
Get Your FREE ebook
Melina's John Mayer Pandora Station! Listen to what she listens to while working.
Special Year-End Sale 👈🏻🥳

Past Episodes and Other Important Links:

122. Decoding the Why with Nate Andorsky, CEO of Creative Science Oct 16, 2020

Show notes

In today's episode, I'm excited to introduce you to Nate Andorsky, CEO of Creative Science and author of Decoding the Why. Nate's book is all about how to apply behavioral economics into consumer-facing software products and websites. It's about experience, behavior, flow, and shares a bit about the process he and his team at Creative Science use with their clients.

Decoding the Why came out in May of 2020, and as you'll hear in our conversation today, he specializes in work with nonprofits, and also works with other organizations to help them incorporate behavioral economics to be more effective. He and his work have been featured in Forbes, Inc, The Huffington Post, Fast Company, and more. Today, we cover a bunch of ground and mention several concepts of behavioral economics that you may find yourself wanting to dig in on and learn more about (and good news...lots of links below!)

Show Notes:

[00:44] In today's episode I'm excited to introduce you to Nate Andorsky, CEO of Creative Science and author of Decoding the Why.
[03:10] Nate's company, Creative Science uses behavioral science to build technology and strategies for today's most innovative companies.
[04:42] He shares a few examples of tech projects using behavioral science.
[07:06] Nate really enjoys working in nonprofit social impact, consumer finance, health, and ed-tech spaces.
[07:42] When working with companies they first ask, "What is the behavior we are trying to drive?" and then bring that into an awesome user experience.
[09:18] If a product isn't working exactly as a company wants, they will typically just go ask their users what they want. (Bad strategy)
[10:11] There is research to suggest how we think about ourselves in the future is as a stranger—so whatever happens to that person is as inconsequential as if it were happening to a stranger. This is a big disconnect, so Nate and team look at how to close that gap.
[11:52] The sooner you actually put your skill into practice, you have a better chance of learning it.
[12:19] If you want to change user behavior you have to change the environment and the norms.
[15:11] Nate shares about one of his favorite projects working with a medical school on their enrollment process.
[15:53] You take more ownership of things if you have a hand in building it.
[18:03] Nostalgia and in-group bias can help someone get social proof (which is likely to trigger the desired behaviors).
[19:35] Nate wanted to be a doctor when he grew up because he comes from a family of medical professionals. During high school, he started his first business and knew he was destined to be an entrepreneur.
[21:26] Melina wanted to be a singer, and shares her experience from volunteering as a company advisor with Washington Business Week.
[23:12] If you want to understand the why behind something, the first thing you need to focus on is a very specific and clear problem.
[23:56] Do a deep literature review, start to hypothesize, and then test what may be going on.
[25:30] A really good place to test is with emails because you can measure an outcome and it is really easy to modify an email to represent a theory.
[26:07] Landing pages are another great way to test.
[27:46] Understanding the group can make a big difference in knowing what nudges to implement.
[30:42] Melina shares about an experience where the company used existing data to help show customers something that would be beneficial to them.
[32:18] If you frame things as a set, people are more likely to complete it.
[34:33] Melina and Nate talk through a real-life example a listener sent in. See it and follow along in the show notes on the website! What do you think? Email Melina your thoughts...
[37:13] Giving donors some insights into where their money is going can increase conversion rates.
[40:42] For all the nonprofits listening if you have a project where you need more conversion (like getting and increasing donations), connect with Nate using the links below to see how Creative Science can help.

Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

Let's connect:

More from The Brainy Business:

Master Your Mindset Mini-Course
BE Thoughtful Revolution - use code BRAINY to save 10%
Get Your FREE ebook
Melina's John Mayer Pandora Station! Listen to what she listens to while working.

Past Episodes and Other Important Links:

Creative Science Website
nate (at) creativescience (dot) co
Nate on LinkedIn
Decoding the Why
Social Proof
Nudges & Choice Architecture
Precommitment
Defaults
Time Discounting
Mental Accounting
Loss Aversion
Why Our Brains Love Nostalgia & Traditions
Biases Toward Others – Including Groups
Priming
Overwhelmed Brain
Social Proof
Friction
Incentives
Anchoring

121. Meet GAABS! Interview with founding members of the Global Association of Applied Behavioral Scientists Oct 09, 2020

Show notes

In today's episode, I'm so honored to introduce you to four of the founding members of the newly formed GAABS, the Global Association of Applied Behavioral Scientists, which officially launched in September of 2020. I'm joined by Torben Emmerling of Affective Advisory, Nuala Walsh of Mindequity, Madeline Quinlan of Salient Behavioural Consultants, and Dario Krpan of the London School of Economics.

As a rapidly growing and currently unregulated field, GAABS comes in as the world's first independent organization representing the interests of applied behavioral scientists, primarily those working in the private sector, and has an impressive list of founders, starting members, and advisory board members, including Robert Cialdini and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman. It is going to be an increasingly valuable and important organization as the years' pass, and I'm so excited to be here to introduce you to the group in its infancy.

Show Notes:

[00:47] Today on the show I am joined by the four founding members of the Global Association of Applied Behavioral Scientists (GAABS), which officially launched September of 2020.
[03:31] Torben Emmerling is the Founder and Managing Partner of Affective Advisory, a fully specialized behavioral science firm based in Switzerland.
[04:21] Nuala Walsh is the founder of Mindequity. She focuses on financial services, oil and gas, and sports.
[05:48] Madeline Quinlan is a director and co-founder of Salient Behavioural Consultants. They use academic rigor and insight to practice from a behavioral point of view.
[06:42] Dario Krpan is an assistant professor of behavioral science at the London School of Economics. He researches how to use behavioral science to solve real-world problems.
[08:08] GAABS as a concept started as a conversation and precommitment at a conference in the summer of 2019.
[10:06] GAABS stands for the Global Association of Applied Behavioral Scientists.
[10:31] This is an unregulated industry for applied practitioners and what they are hoping to do is guard against the proliferation of people that are not bona fide practitioners in the field.
[12:19] GAABS is a nonprofit, member-based entity and it is there for all qualified behavioral science practitioners out there to be a platform to bridge academia and practice.
[13:11] This is truly there to connect the field and make sure the ethical and technical standards of behavioral science are kept, raised and advocated around the world.
[15:57] We want to be a very welcoming member body where we see many different approaches. We do have to make sure certain standards are kept.
[16:38] One of the benefits of membership we see going forward is using this as a forum with the extra benefit of an academic advisory board.
[19:21] Being able to say that you met the criteria to join there is some higher entity that shows we have worth and social proof.
[20:54] There is a lot of interest from people just entering the field and from people that are already established in the field.
[21:57] GAABS is not providing certification or training, because there are many other groups doing a good job with that already.
[23:26] There are two types of membership, individual and organizational. For the individual memberships, they look for people with qualifying criteria. People who are able to show that they have completed a post-grad qualification in a relevant subject in the behavioral sciences, relevant publications, teaching in the field, or relevant contributions to the field.
[25:15] On the organizational side we look for proof that it is a proper behavioral science unit or consultancy.
[27:21] They are all dedicated to this idea that is going to be built by the members for the members.
[28:44] GAABS is member focused like companies are client-focused and they want to hear ideas from members for improvement. All ideas are welcome!
[30:51] The group is a wonderful resource to share research findings before they are professionally published and learn from others.
[33:43] It is a great way to share what is interesting in this space, how others are going about this, and transparency around how behavioral science tools are used.
[34:39] The academics have access to tremendous resources.
[36:31] We live in a global world right now and companies and public organizations are commissioning projects around the world. This will be a platform to gather knowledge.
[39:05] This is a way for like-minded and interested people to convene and we need to replicate that working for any of our clients.
[39:58] There is so much willingness to share and be open within the group. It is a very inviting field.
[41:06] There is so much room for everyone at the table of behavioral science and practice because there is so much demand and need for it.
[44:01] It is an amazing benefit that we are able to connect with people in the field all over the world. GAABS is a great resource to help behavioral scientists to connect globally and it can propel these connections to happen faster.
[46:21] Behavioral science is a field on the rise, and having a professional body to showcase and support the "bona fide practitioners" is so important. GAABS will help safeguard and maintain the quality and standards within the field, promote important insights and applications, be a prestigious community to build alliances with peers on a global level, with access to exclusive events, conferences, and educational programs and so much more. If you're a qualified practitioner of behavioral science, use the links below to apply to join this wonderful group!

Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

Let's connect:

More from The Brainy Business:

Master Your Mindset Mini-Course
BE Thoughtful Revolution - use code BRAINY to save 10%
Get Your FREE ebook
Melina's John Mayer Pandora Station! Listen to what she listens to while working.

Past Episodes and Other Important Links:

120. Precommitment: Boosting Cooperation for Yourself and Others, a Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode Oct 02, 2020

Show notes

Today, we are talking about precommitment and how it can be used in life and business. As far as concepts go, I'm guessing this is one of those you've heard of and think you know everything about, so I'm going to challenge that belief and hopefully teach you some new insights and ways to use precommitment on today's show by sharing a personal example. Precommitment is very closely related to time discounting, as well as loss aversion, habits, and several other concepts.

As a side note, can I just say that I can hardly believe we've made it to 120 episodes of the podcast already? And, there is another exciting milestone that is going to be hitting as this episode comes out. I'm not sure exactly when it will happen, but sometime between recording and the release of the episode we will hit a quarter of a million downloads! A quarter-million you guys! From 160 countries around the world and 120 episodes downloaded 250,000 times.

Precommitment is a big reason this has all been made possible. Because of my vow to have new episodes every single Friday no matter what – a precommitment I made to the void when launching the show, we always have new content come out. In 120 episodes I've never missed, and I hope I never will. It seems very fitting that today's episode on precommitment is marking this exciting quarter-million milestone.

But precommitment can be used for a lot more than keeping to a content schedule. In today's show, I'll share an example of how I am using it to be more in alignment with the person I want to be, tips to overcome cognitive dissonance in a positive way (and what that means), some great apps to help with precommitment, behavioral scientists using this in practice, and more!

Show Notes:

[01:01] Precommitment is very closely related to time discounting, as well as loss aversion, habits, and several other concepts that will be linked for you in the show notes.
[03:02] When I started The Brainy Business, I made a commitment to do a weekly show for one full year before evaluating if it was a fit for my business or a waste of time. I'm so thankful to say, it was clearly worth its weight in time gold (far before hitting that one year mark) and The Brainy Business is here to stay.
[06:11] Precommitments can be external like throwing all the junk food out of the house or dumping soda down the drain. They can also be internal, like a promise to yourself that you will not break. And a combination.
[07:20] Cognitive dissonance is essentially the discomfort we feel when our perception of ourselves doesn't line up with our actions. (This concept will have its own episode soon.)
[08:28] Our brains write off a story that doesn't align with how we want to see ourselves surprisingly quickly.
[10:02] We can use some precommitment tactics while in a cold state to help set us up for success when the moment comes.
[11:53] The thing about precommitment is, while it does help us stick to the right stuff, we can also be way too good at ignoring our own best intentions (so it doesn't always work). The best way to combat this? Narrow focus.
[13:23] We need to own that past to have a better future. If we don't (and instead let the distaste for cognitive dissonance explain it away) it will never change—we will never change—and no amount of precommitment trick will do it for us.
[14:17] As with all applied behavioral science, there is a bigger problem at the root, and it is important to take a step back to make sure you are addressing the whole thing when you put your precommitment devices in place.
[16:00] Finding the most important thing to work on and dedicating all your willpower to that one thing is much more likely to be successful.
[16:48] Depending on the goal you choose to use precommitment tactics to help with, there are some cool apps, like Stickk.
[18:26] Forest is an app that can be used if you want to be more productive and especially if you have a hard time not getting distracted by your phone.
[21:13] When Nikki Rausch was on the show we talked about making it easy to do business with you and scheduling your circle back calls in the moment someone is interested. Making that precommitment is so much more effective in continuing conversations moving forward.
[21:41] Get the appointment on the calendar in that moment. It is a precommitment that is a lot harder to push off than a theoretical conversation that may happen someday.
[23:08] Set the expectations upfront to help everyone be on the same page and comfortable with the commitment.
[24:09] I want to close out this episode with one of my favorite precommitment tactics, the loss aversion jar.
[26:42] Seeing the money in the jar and knowing it all goes away if you miss, can help you keep on track especially if you have a buddy who you know will hold you to it (the threat needs to be real!).
[27:34] You can celebrate your wins and achieve those goals by using precommitment in a responsible way.
[28:31] If you can't commit to having the "extremely bad thing" as your consequence if you don't meet the goal...ask yourself why. If you're not willing to commit to it fully, don't work on it right now. Is there something else that is more important to work on first?
[29:32] What will your goal be? When will you achieve it? Make the commitment by sharing it with me on social media. Find me as @thebrainybiz everywhere (links below!)

Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

Let's connect:

More from The Brainy Business:

Master Your Mindset Mini-Course
BE Thoughtful Revolution - use code BRAINY to save 10%
Get Your FREE ebook
Melina's John Mayer Pandora Station! Listen to what she listens to while working.

Past Episodes and Other Important Links:

119. Creating a Habit of Curiosity: Interview with Bec Weeks, Cofounder of Pique Sep 25, 2020

Show notes

Today I'm very excited to be sitting down with Bec Weeks, co-founder of the app Pique.

Her co-founders include Sendhil Mullainathan who has taught traditional and behavioral economics at MIT, Harvard, and The University of Chicago, and Michael Norton, another Harvard professor and part of the Harvard Behavioral Insights Group, he also previously taught at MIT and co-authored a book called Happy Money, The Science of Smarter Spending. Bec got her MBA in behavioral science, entrepreneurship, and social impact from Harvard University. The whole Pique crew is clearly amazing!

I had such a lovely time chatting with Bec and could tell from our first conversation that we would be fast friends. She is doing such cool things (and as silly as it is, she has some stellar rose gold headphones that I totally want...long time listeners know I love rose gold!) Beyond that of course, I love the cool things she and the rest of the Pique team are doing to help people use habits in a smart way to improve their lives.

How are they doing that exactly? Listen and read on my friend...

Show Notes:

[00:43] Today I'm very excited to be sitting down with Bec Weeks, co-founder of the app Pique.
[03:18] I love the cool things Bec and the rest of the Pique team are doing to help people use habits in a smart way to improve their lives.
[04:18] Before that, a bit about her. Bec is from Australia. She started her career very briefly in law before she moved to management consulting and on to the Behavioral Economics Team of the Australian Government (BETA).
[06:39] There is a really big behavioral community in Australia and it is growing every day.
[07:42] She shares about a project she was part of at BETA which focused on the problem of doctors overprescribing antibiotics. Another memorable project about reducing discrimination in hiring practices.
[09:51] The importance of testing was a key finding.
[11:05] Things are shifting all the time. A nudge applied ten years ago doesn't necessarily work today.
[12:38] Experiments that fail to produce results still need to be public so they add to the evidence base of things that do and do not work.
[15:35] Pique is their attempt to take useful findings from psychology and present them to use and inspire an app. It lets others learn about the concept, experience the concept, and live the concept in their life in a small way.
[16:17] Pique's main goal is to help people be more in touch with their thoughts (including self-awareness) as well as how they interact with others.
[17:05] Humans crave novelty so they wanted to make sure Pique incorporated variety and different things to do. This keeps people coming back to try something new.
[19:13] The habit is exercising the curiosity, experimentation, and exploration muscles.
[20:26] The simplest change can make it so you are innovative and creative for the rest of the day.
[22:08] The best time to Pique differs from person to person and often even moment to moment.
[24:11] They have built-in reminders in the app to complete the daily exercises and also the opportunity to schedule a comeback reminder.
[25:02] There is a lot of humor sprinkled within the app. They want it to be helpful and enjoyable.
[27:14] You will do each of these little moments and hopefully get something small out of each of them, but when you keep doing them they build on one another and you see bigger results.
[29:21] If you can provide a personalized experience for someone then they are more likely to get the benefit and come back. You want people to use it and get great value.
[31:47] Once you complete the few beginning questions you land at a page with a selection of packs sorted for you.
[33:02] Some packs currently in the app are Conversations, Time, Mind Wandering, Fan the Flame (connecting with your partner), and Rituals.
[35:44] A lot of us have things we are not quite aware of that have ritualistic power. Some of these have been lost whilst at home and some of them we have been able to keep during the pandemic--why that matters.
[37:14] Other current/upcoming packs include Decision Making, Connecting with Friends, and Boosting the Bond. They are always adding new content.
[39:10] The idea of moments is to help you do those things and see what works and resonates with you.
[41:58] Some of the things we have lost are obvious and some not as obvious. Taking time to think about what things have been lost and thinking about how we can add them back--even if it is in a different way--is very important.
[43:19] The opposite of distraction is traction (via Nir Eyal, episode link below).
[45:13] When thinking about habits, many of us think about changing them but it is also important to think about how you can use the power of habits to help people introduce change.
[45:45] Pique is perfectly packaged into bite sized pieces that can help your brain to feel good and give you a mental boost. Consider this your poque to download Pique! (once you do, let us know on social media using the links below)

Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

Let's connect:

Connect with Pique:

More from The Brainy Business:

Master Your Mindset Mini-Course
BE Thoughtful Revolution - use code BRAINY to save 10%
Get Your FREE ebook
Melina's John Mayer Pandora Station! Listen to what she listens to while working.

Past Episodes and Other Important Links:

118. Behavioural Science Club: Interview with Co-Founder Louise Ward Sep 18, 2020

Show notes

Today I am so excited to talk about a fantastic club that started a few months ago on LinkedIn. You'll learn about the serendipitous nature of how this group was founded during my conversation with one of the catalysts of creating it, Louise Ward. The group is called the Behavioural Science Club, and (while it has had limits on how many people can be included in the past)...at the moment they are letting anyone with an interest in the online virtual book club of awesomeness join.

That Being Said...when you do sign up to join through LinkedIn, please do mention you heard about it from The Brainy Business so we can connect and Louise knows how you got there.

As you will learn, Louise has one on one conversations with every new member (there are close to 2000 now) and this is a group about interaction and engagement. If you just want a notch in your LinkedIn groups belt, this isn't the club for you.

If you want to

connect with others from around the world who love behavioral science
learn and chat
meet some amazing people

Then this group is for you and you should definitely join! Louise will personally approve you and let you in.

Louise was so fun to chat with, and as you will learn, she is very new to behavioral science and behavioral economics. She is someone who was passionate and took the initiative to do something, which has put her on the radar of some pretty amazing people who she secured to come into the book club to discuss their books with us. (Rory Sutherland! Cass Sunstein! So many more!!!)

Show Notes:

[00:45] Today I am so excited to talk about a fantastic club that started a few months ago on LinkedIn.
[03:11] She is very new to behavioral science and behavioral economics, but was passionate and took the initiative to do something in a way that has put her on the radar of some pretty amazing people.
[03:59] Melina and Louise met during Nudgestock.
[05:06] Her interest in advertising came from her father. She grew up in an advertising house.
[07:31] She has always been interested in people.
[09:59] She and Prakash Sharma created the Behavioural Science Club on LinkedIn.
[12:43] It all started with a love of lists and a simple LinkedIn post...
[13:54] Then it evolved farther into a LinkedIn group and Louise ended up being a co-manager.
[16:33] So many authors have agreed to come into the group and do a question and answer session for the members.
[16:45] They didn't anticipate there would be so much interest and so much kindness from everybody.
[19:07] They wanted the group to be a personal experience so membership was capped for a while.
[20:46] The group is a mix of people that have an interest in behavioral science and people that work in the space.
[22:07] The diversity of the group is very appealing. Even though they are reading books they are not exclusive to only behavioral scientists.
[24:57] The very core is that we are all just interested in how people are behaving.
[25:25] Melina and Louise both highly recommend the Nudgestock videos.
[27:31] Most of the group growth has been attributed to word of mouth.
[29:59] It is really beneficial to invest in a few things rather than doing many things. Showing up and having meaningful conversations is more valuable for the entire group.
[31:09] Louise hopes that the pandemic's silver lining is that people had time to step back and reflect on what is important to them.
[33:10] The group has been empowering to many people and has given others the chance to make connections and interact with people they didn't know prior.
[35:44] The group is very active and so many people have so many great things to share.
[38:41] When the group started on the first Saturday of the month they had book chat. The third Saturday was the author Q&A. Occasionally they have to alter the times to fit the author's schedule.
[40:31] Now they have upgraded to meeting every Saturday. The other weeks include authors of newly published books in behavioral science.
[43:01] The easiest way to find the group is to go on LinkedIn and type in Behavioural Science Club. (or just click that link!)
[44:39] There are many discussions in the world right now about when it is behavioral economics vs. behavioral science.
[47:27] Reflecting on my career, I (Melina) can see a lot of things I was doing years ago and understand now why they worked (from a behavioral economics lens) even though I didn't have the perfect term at the time.
[49:04] During this time in the pandemic, I have been really focusing on showing up in the right places instead of trying to be everywhere on a cursory level. I want to be able to really engage with others and learn from them, have great conversation, and make a difference. This group is a space to do that.
[50:01] No matter what your background or knowledge level you should come be part of this group if it interests you. I look forward to interacting with you there!

Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

Let's connect:

More from The Brainy Business:

Master Your Mindset Mini-Course
BE Thoughtful Revolution - use code BRAINY to save 10%
Get Your FREE ebook
Melina's John Mayer Pandora Station! Listen to what she listens to while working.

More from The Brainy Business:

117. Hawthorne Effect: How You Unintentionally Impact Every Experiment, a Behavioral Economics Foundations Episode Sep 11, 2020

Show notes

Today, we are digging in on the Hawthorne Effect. This effect is named after a series of tests done at Western Electric's Hawthorne location back in the 1920s. The aim of the study was to see how changes in worker conditions would impact productivity, and it was one of the first bits of research into determining worker opinions and mindset into the company's planning process.

Before we get to that, I am very excited to share that it has been officially announced that I will be speaking at Podcast Movement Virtual this year! I'm on a panel about creating better pitches for being a guest on podcasts so your efforts don't get deleted. Learn more and get your ticket.

The Hawthorne Effect has two main impacts: 1) people change their behavior when they know they are being watched (especially if they know what the watcher is hoping to achieve), and 2) giving people an opportunity to be involved in the process can boost morale, productivity and more.

As with every concept, there are two sides to this coin. Often, you want to avoid letting people know they are being watched as it will impact results. However, as you'll learn in the episode, there are some specific times and advantages to having people know they are being watched. Understanding this concept more will help you apply the logic within your business for the best possible results.

Show Notes:

[00:45] I am very excited to share that I will be speaking at Podcast Movement Virtual this year!
[03:51] The Hawthorne effect is named after a series of tests done at Western Electric's Hawthorne location back in the 1920s and 1930s. The aim was to see how changes in worker conditions would impact productivity, and it was one of the first bits of research into determining worker opinions and mindset into the company's planning process.
[04:50] In 1924, they were part of a study to see how the brightness of lighting would impact output...the results were very puzzling...
[05:24] A few years later, Hawthorne started a new experiment with Harvard to see how relays could be created more efficiently.
[06:05] The studies concluded that one big difference was being able to provide input and an ability to be treated as a human person with opinions and worth. These findings resulted in changes in working conditions far beyond the Hawthorne location and Western Electric over the decades that followed.
[06:27] The other important piece of information from these studies is the finding that when people know they are being watched, and especially when they know what the researchers are looking for, it biases the results.
[06:59] When modern researchers have looked back on the data from the original Hawthorne studies, they found some issues. For one thing, there were too many factors being changed at once, and that likely influenced the outcome of the research.
[08:19] In its simplest form, the Hawthorne Effect is saying that when people know they are being observed, or that there is an experiment taking place, it changes their behavior. The mere act of doing an experiment impacts the results.
[09:01] If you are trying to find out what people naturally do, you are running an experiment of some kind and want to see if a small change can impact behavior, you do not want those involved in the test to be biased and change their actions simply because they are being tested.
[09:41] The true intent of a behavioral or psychological study like this will often be hidden within the experiment itself.
[11:04] Other studies have shown that when people know what the researchers are looking for, they will on some level give a little extra effort to help prove them right. So, if it is important that you get a natural view of what is going on in the brain or behavior, you want to be as incognito as you can.
[13:36] An example from my own visits to branches during my corporate life, and why staying for a longer period of time is important.
[14:30] It's better to integrate with the team as much as you can to become "one of them" so they let their guard down. Sporadic visits don't have the same impact.
[14:59] If you are looking for something specific in those visits, don't tell the people on the team what you are trying to do when it can be avoided.
[16:38] Stanford University found that for the simple tasks, monitoring helped boost productivity because the workers made a game out of accomplishing the tasks so they wouldn't get bored.
[17:03] For those with more complex tasks, productivity went down. Those workers felt the monitoring was too controlling and impacted their ability to do a good job. They felt rushed, which created stressful time pressure.
[17:22] With simple tasks that can get monotonous, monitoring that encourages gamification can be really helpful in boosting productivity and making it more fun for workers. With more complex stuff, people may feel threatened, be scared of punishment for mistakes, or make them focus too narrowly on things that might not be fully important.
[19:08] Remember, being treated well and being involved in the process was determined to be a big reason why the Hawthorne studies had such a big impact on productivity.
[20:20] That was another key piece of the Hawthorne studies, the boost in productivity happened in all the cases, like with the lights, when you turned them up, down, or kept them the same people had increased productivity during the study but they reverted when they got back to the normal work environment.
[21:06] Be careful when you have a hypothesis or are going in with a goal to make sure you aren't too focused on finding the outcome you are looking for.
[22:06] Digging deeper is always a good idea. And now that you know how the Hawthorne effect can be helpful and how it can be a hindrance, you have the opportunity to learn about your teams and hopefully boost morale, productivity, efficiency, and so much more.

Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.

Let's connect:

More from The Brainy Business: