Behavior Change for Good Winter Newsletter
Happy New Year!
Our big news is a paper just published in Nature introducing a new way of doing applied behavioral science research.
We're also looking forward to more events with BCFG Scientists who've penned popular press books about behavioral science in 2022! Read on for more details...
Katy Milkman and Angela Duckworth
BCFG Co-Directors
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A New Method for Conducting Social Science Research at Scale: The Megastudy
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A paper introducing BCFG's pioneering "megastudy" approach to applied behavioral science research was recently published in Nature.
We define a megastudy as a massive field experiment in which many interventions are evaluated simultaneously on the same objective outcome in the same population. The megastudy approach allows dozens of ideas proposed by a diverse array of scientists to be tested at once, accelerating discovery and making possible direct, "apples-to-apples" comparisons of different interventions. We partnered with 24 Hour Fitness on the 61,000-person megastudy presented in this paper, testing the efficacy of 53 different programs designed to increase gym attendance. To learn more, read the great New York Times or CNN coverage of our work.
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Behavioral Science Authors, Brought to You by BCFG
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Selected News Coverage of Work by BCFG Team Scientists
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- Why Many Americans Underestimate Who Is Most Concerned About The Environment, Neil Lewis, Jr., FiveThirtyEight
- The Psychology Behind Meeting Overload, Ashley Whillans, Dave Feldman, and Damian Wisniewski, Harvard Business Review
- The Myth of Tribalism, Dominic Packer and Jay Van Bavel, The Atlantic
- The COVID Externalities Have Changed, Emily Oster, The Atlantic
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Books by BCFG Team Scientists to Help You with Your New Year's Resolutions
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Spotlight On Team Scientist Kevin Volpp
Last summer, BCFG Team Scientist Kevin Volpp’s heart stopped while he was eating at a restaurant, and he went without a pulse for 14 minutes. Incredibly, Kevin not only survived but came out of the hospital without brain damage or other serious health problems.
Kevin’s case was remarkable, but why? His doctors credit a combination of quality CPR, fast emergency response, and Kevin’s physical fitness. At the time, Kevin was training for an Ironman 70.3 — a race that involves swimming 1.2 miles, cycling 56 miles, and running 13.1 miles. He was in his best physical shape since his mid-20s. He also happened to be sitting next to two squash coaches who were trained in CPR.
Recently, Kevin shared his story with the American Heart Association to help expand awareness of how important CPR training can be and how critically important it is to take care of your cardiovascular health. Read his whole story here.
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A BCFG Virtual Briefing on Tactics Tested for Encouraging COVID-19 Vaccination
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On November 5th, BCFG and the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE) hosted a 1-hour briefing on the latest behavioral science research from our centers on encouraging COVID-19 vaccination. Watch the event here.
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Hear More From BCFG Team Scientists in These Podcasts
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 A Slight Change of Plans: The Science of Grit
BCFG Co-Director Angela Duckworth joins Team Advisor Maya Shankar to discuss how to be gritty, when to be gritty, and why it matters no matter what you're striving for.
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 The Indicator from Planet Money: How to Keep Your New Year's Resolutions
To celebrate the new year, BCFG Co-Director Katy Milkman shares her advice on how to hit the ground running in 2022 with a fresh start.
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 People I (Mostly) Admire: Why Is Richard Thaler Such a ****ing Optimist?
BCFG Team Scientists Richard Thaler and Steve Levitt discuss the past, present, and future of nudges.
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 Hidden Brain: Choose Carefully
BCFG Team Scientist Eric Johnson unpacks the important, and often overlooked, factors that influence our decision-making.
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About BCFG
The Behavior Change for Good Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania is co-led by Psychology Professor Angela Duckworth and Wharton Professor Katy Milkman. BCFG unites a world-class, interdisciplinary team of academic experts with leading organizational partners to advance the science and practice of behavior change.
We’re always interested in hearing about new areas to explore and potential collaborations. Contact us anytime.
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