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In the Self Regulation Lab
Utrecht University is an utterly charming place. In amongst the cycling students and ultramodern architecture you can find sheep grazing on pastures scattered around the campus. The University is also home to something of interest within the behavioural sciences – the Self Regulation Lab. The Self Regulation Lab is part of the University’s Department of […]
Nudging in the Netherlands: Reflections on the Academic/Policy Interface
I am currently in the Netherlands talking to a series of people about the emerging impacts of the behavioural sciences on Dutch public policy. This morning I learned that while behavioural economics and psychology are popular here it has taken time for their insights to be incorporated into policy development and design. In many ways […]
Behaviour Change – A Debate
The full recording of the Sheffield Salon debate on the changing role of the state – ‘Nanny, Nudger or Therapist’ is now available at: http://www.sheffieldsalon.org.uk/2013/12/nanny-nudger-or-therapist-event-video/ This debate featured our very own Rhys Jones.
Cerebral Cities – psychological spaces and neuro-architecture
By Jessica Pykett Evidence-based architecture and urban design has been growing in significance and in this post we consider how an emergent interdisciplinary field of neuro-architecture might re-make cities of the future in light of psychologised understandings of human behaviour. We recently held a free seminar event at the University of Bristol, UK on […]
Neuroarchitecture and Behaviour Change
A commentary on seminar 1, “Changing spaces, urban planning and neuroarchitecture” By Stacey Smith (University of Bristol) In this blog post, Stacey Smith reflects upon the recent ESRC seminar we convened on neuroarchitecture. To find out more about the seminar series, which is exploring various themes related to psychological governance, go to: http://psychologicalgovernance.wordpress.com/ —————————– At first […]
Nudge yourself better: how to become your own Choice Architect
This is an invited guest blog from Roger Tyers. Roger is completing a PhD on behavioural insights and climate change mitigation at the University of Southampton. He shares our interest in behavioural empowerment. ———————————- My PhD research is about changing people’s behaviour – how to make people lead better, greener, more sustainable lives. A key […]
Homo Economicus to Homer Simpson
Simpsonian Subjectivities One of my enduring memories of reading Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein’s highly influential book Nudge (2008) was its reflections on an unlikely subject of academic literature: Homer Simpson. Thaler and Sunstein cleverly deploy Homer Simpson as a counter point to the hyper-rational figure of homo economicus. Homo economicus has, of course, provided an […]
Neuroliberalism and Redefining Freedom
In this post we continue our discussion of the psychological state by considering the implications of emerging forms of psychological governance for our understanding of freedom. Psychological expressions of power (whether between counsellor and patient, or government and the people) have always had implications for established notions of freedom. In a therapeutic context, psychology has […]
John Drummond – The Interview
As part of our ongoing research into emerging forms of behaviour change policy we spoke to the Chairman of Corporate Culture John Drummond. John is the founder of the Social Marketing Academy and Social Marketing Network. He has expertise in behaviour change, social change, branding and market-led CSR. John began life as a journalist before working […]
Emotional Governance: Therapeutic or Submerged?
As part of our ongoing series of posts for Psychology Today exploring the contours of the psychological state, we are using this short reflection to consider the relationship between the psychological state and emotional governance. In our previous post (introducing the psychological state) we argued that a renewed concern with the emotional dimensions of human […]
Changing Behaviours - An ESRC Project 