What is alertness, the science that studies how we can be influenced to make decisions

How does that happen in many supermarkets Fruit and vegetable section come before others? The arrangement is not random: there is special research behind it. In particular, the Behavioral science They study our region deeply directione And decisions It can be applied to our own effect choices.

L’Art of to push or to pushSimply put, it is the art of giving to push To make someone do something more or less unconsciously. This, in theory, should happen to fetch utility to the individual or to the community (I put fruits and vegetables first to allow you to choose healthy products first), but it can also be used for purely marketing you hate a discount. Let’s take a look at how to make a file to push and how it works.

Two different ways of thinking

to understand how to push We must first understand how our mind works. Let’s do a little experiment: look at the picture: You may have understood at first sight who the person in the photo is angrySomeone might have told her something about him unpleasant or received news annoying.

Now try to do this in mind: 484:4. Maybe you should stop and think a little more than that Attention to resolve this account.
These two examples allow us to say, for simplicity, that our brain follows two paths:

• that of Quick thinking (the so-called system 1): works automatically, in “energy saving”. We put it into practice all those times when we hear a noise and suddenly turn around, when we don’t stop in the morning to think about whether to put on socks before shoes, when we read the big writing on a sign and leave it to the very young
• that of reflective thinking (the so-called System 2): it intervenes in all those procedures that require it a certain degree of interestfor example when we try to write with our non-dominant hand, when we want to do math or file a tax return.

Obviously our brain It is not really divided into two parts, but this metaphor helps us better understand our way of making decisions. In this regard, the researchers found that The majority of our decisions are made on the basis of System 1, because it is the fastest, which works by means of associations and saves us mental energy. Simply put, our brains will tend to avoid fatigue if possible.

System 1 (quick thinking) is Necessary for the evolution of the human race Because it allows us to deal with various routine situations in daily life; However, it can happen that despite facing complex decisions, individuals resort to some mental shortcuts, called inference. Heuristics is nothing more than assessments and decisions made quickly in situations where little information is often available. This situation can lead to commission some wrong judgments, for example People are unreasonably optimistic About their ability to drive after taking alcohol or drugs.

What is a file to push?

theory to pushliterally translated as “nice push” or “push”, is an approach that allows people to make choices that are distorted as much as possible by evaluation errors or the “laziness” we mentioned earlier. Theorists of this approach argue that It is possible to change human behavior in predictable ways, without forbidding anything and without forcing choices, but only by the way possible actions are presented to choose from. Just as if we were facing a restaurant menu.

How can the to push: some examples

exist Many types of to pushis the most common hypothetical. Implementing a default means setting an option that will be chosen automatically, unless people actively choose to act differently. Any examples?

• We all know that overdosing on sugar is bad for you, but how many of us think about it whenever we run into a problem. Coffee machine Preset for 3 sugar bars? Perhaps if the default was zero bars and we had to choose how much sugar to add to our coffee, many of us would choose to consume less, and yet so often many press OK without even thinking about it;

• Every year we realize how many interventions organ transplant It could have been implemented, if only people had signed on Donation approval. In all likelihood, making the donation option the primary one, by default, would make it possible to overcome some obstacles to the practice, whether due to laziness or lack of information (for example, not knowing that it would be sufficient to sign the consent in the municipality) does not accept it the majority of people. In this case, it should only be declared by those who oppose it, and not vice versa.
• The fact that when we pick up at ATM It is not printed automatically receiptBut we have to choose to do it or not to choose it, it is a choice architecture that allows us to save paper.

• the sounding steps When they are hit, discourage the use of escalators and invite citizens to move more.
• Utilization green arrows Which indicates healthy foods in supermarkets We paid to buy more fruits and vegetables.
• Utilization Polls to remind people to go and voteIn theory, the survey aims to measure voting intentions and therefore behaviour. However, even the mere fact of asking someone intends to vote can draw attention to the activity that will be carried out, and thus remember to go and vote (in technical terminology, it is defined as priming).
• Finally, one of the most famous examples is an exampleUrinal with a fly Inside the toilet bowl: A fly is a “target” for users who are tempted to strike it by urinating directly into the bowl without getting dirty.

  

Goal to pushTherefore, it works on context and structuring choices in order to promote functional behaviors of individual and social well-being. In this sense, the to push It’s an approach applicable to many areas, from fighting obesity, to saving energy, to the pension system.

criticisms in to push

the to push Not clearly Criticism free. The first is who decides what is best for others. Moreover, the use of this tool has increasingly entered marketing and sales channels, which has resulted in the initial theoretical objective being missed. One example among many? When we know that an element will be cut (“Only 3 items left, hurry!”), whether that’s true or not, we’re more tempted to buy it than we would have been if we didn’t know about those specs.