Why Trust Matters

October 15, 2021

The history of civilisation is really the story of how we leaned to trust. In this blog Ben Ho considers research showing how fear brings people together and builds trust of outsiders. Through experiments in South Korea during the Covid pandemic it was possible to record feelings of fear and acceptance of outsiders. Those with the most fear recorded the highest increases in trust. How we respond to fear can give us hope for the future. … More Why Trust Matters

What’s in it for me?

July 19, 2021

Opponents are not monsters, but humans with legitimate needs. There is no ‘correct’ worldview warns Tom Prosser, and an understanding of the self-interest within all of them is important to confronting division, civilising politics, and making the most of our beseiged democratic institutions. There is no shame in self-interest. … More What’s in it for me?

Moments, not Minutes: The nature-wellbeing link

July 9, 2021

In “moments not minutes” Miles Richardson explains how research shows the value to wellbeing from connecting and engaging with nature in simple ways. Simply spending time in nature has limited impact, but actually noticing the good things in nature has sustained benefits. These finding should guide policy programmes and urban design, to help people notice nature around them. … More Moments, not Minutes: The nature-wellbeing link

Pandemic Optimism: Realistic v Hopeful

December 4, 2020

Optimism encompasses a ‘positive anchoring’ in risk decision making. This can be a coping mechanism to overcome the anxiety of risk in a pandemic. However, this is only true when people adopt a form of ‘realistic optimism’, which should be distinguished from ‘hopeful optimism’. Behavioural interventions can play a role in building realistic optimism in people before they are hit by a pandemic. … More Pandemic Optimism: Realistic v Hopeful

Complex Problems need Complex Science

October 23, 2020

Many of today’s most ambitious policy goals involve complex systems. The ‘behavioural revolution’ in public policy means that behavioural science is playing a big role in endeavours to achieve these goals. The interplay of behavioral science and complex systems, however, warrants enhanced consideration. In this blog Katelyn Stenger makes the case for collaboration between behavioural science and complex systems science. … More Complex Problems need Complex Science

Reimagining Policing

September 17, 2020

Algorithms provide a good starting point for police reform, but not a panacea. When screening candidates for the police force of the future, for example, auditing for bias is not only helpful, it’s essential. Algorithms offer new possibilities to do this. Going beyond hiring decisions, data and behavioral science can be used to encourage people to be their best self. Even small details amongst environmental influences on behavior can make a difference. Properly regulated and scrutinised algorithms can help improve recruitment, retention and promotion. They can also help strengthen law enforcement itself and community engagement in policing, to everyone’s benefit. … More Reimagining Policing