6 Ways Google Hacks Its Cafeterias So Googlers Eat Healthier. Much has changed since Google earned a reputation for fattening its staffers with food on demand. These days, the company is focused on advancing its healthy eating initiatives. Explains Jennifer Kurkoski, who has a PhD in organizational behavior and runs a division of Google’s HR department called People Analytics, “When employees are healthy, they’re happy. When they’re happy, they’re innovative.” In pursuit of that healthiness, happiness, and innovation, Google has turned to “nudges”: simple, subtle cues that prompt people to make better decisions. No longer are M&Ms in clear hanging dispensers. Waiting for you as you enter the cafeteria is the salad bar.
While grabbing a plate to load up on grub, you see a sign informing you that people with bigger dishes are inclined to eat more. So you’ve had a bad day, and even a glaring red tag isn’t enough to discourage you from indulging in a treat. You’re back at your desk and thirst is setting in. Illustrations by Peter Oumanski.
Choice Architecture by Richard Thaler, Cass Sunstein, John Balz. Richard H. Thaler University of Chicago - Booth School of Business; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Cass R. Sunstein Harvard Law School John P. University of Chicago - Political Science DepartmentApril 2, 2010 Abstract: Decision makers do not make choices in a vacuum. Number of Pages in PDF File: 17 Keywords: Behavioral Economics, Public Policy, Nudge, Psychology working papers series. Nudge blog · Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happi. Behavioural Econ.
Rory Sutherland: Life lessons from an ad man. Sendhil Mullainathan: Solving social problems with a nudge | Vid. Better the devil you know. Dan Ariely tells Matthew Taylor why it's only by understanding our weaknesses that we can learn to anticipate and avoid mistakes Matthew Taylor: The UK government has just set up a behavioural insight team, and behavioural economics has been subject to a surge of policy interest in recent years. What do you think has driven this trend? Dan Ariely: Without the financial crisis, I don’t think behavioural economics would have gained the popularity it has. Almost everyone believed that the market was the most rational place on the planet, yet it failed in a magnificent way. In addition, over the years, behavioural economics has moved from the lab to the field. MT: Can you give me some examples of these real-world implications? DA: We've recently done a study looking at how people decide which loans to pay back.
Another study we’re doing is about why people don’t look for second opinions in medicine. Conflicts of interest are a good example of the importance of behavioural economics.