Fear is a bad counsellor

Fear is a bad counsellor

Posted Dominika KwasnickaPosted in Fear, Incentives

Dr Gjalt-Jorn Peters, Open University, Netherlands

Fear appeals are a commonly used strategy to change behaviour. For instance the threatening and graphic fear-arousing communications now ever-present on tobacco packaging, and in campaigns to promote seatbelt use and discourage substance use. Despite the popularity and widespread use of these fear-arousing methods, research suggests that they may not be the best way to change behaviour, or to raise awareness or educate people.

How is this possible? Shouldn’t people be scared of things that could harm their health?  Surely no one who knows the risks would smoke, drive without a seatbelt, or use methamphetamine, right? Not quite…

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E-health: hypes and hopes

Posted Gill ten HoorPosted in E-health, Interventions

Rik Crutzen, Maastricht University, The Netherlands

Nowadays, people use the Internet all the time and for a wide range of activities: from buying groceries to showing a funny cat-picture to a friend on the other side of the world. It is all possible. Also, the Internet is used more and more within the domain of health – often referred to as e-health. (more…)

Does money really change everything? Using financial incentives and disincentives to change health behaviours

Posted Dominika KwasnickaLeave a commentPosted in Financial Incentives, Incentives

Dr Jean Adams, Centre for Diet & Activity Research, University of Cambridge

Since October last year, by law, large retailers in England have been charging customers 5p (€0.06) for ‘single-use plastic carrier bags’ – those flimsy plastic bags you get from supermarkets to carry your groceries home. The money raised is donated by retailers to ‘good causes’. In the first six months of the scheme, plastic bag use by major supermarkets decreased by more than 90% (that’s 7bn fewer bags!) and more than £29m (€32m) was donated to good causes. It’s hard not to conclude that a small financial disincentive can have a big impact on our behaviour.

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Getting into the habit: Applying the science of habit-formation to the real-world

Posted Dominika KwasnickaLeave a commentPosted in Automaticity, Habit

By Benjamin Gardner, King’s College London

What is a ‘habit’?

Why do we eat popcorn while watching movies? The answer, for most, is that eating popcorn is a habitual response to watching movies. Psychologists define ‘habitual’ behaviours as actions that happen automatically, due to learned associations between situations (the movie theatre) and our responses to them (eating popcorn).

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