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The Behavioral Design Podcast

The Behavioral Design Podcast

By Samuel Salzer

How can we change behavior in practice? Listen in as hosts Samuel Salzer and Aline Holzwarth speak with leading experts on all things behavioral science, design and beyond. The Behavioral Design Podcast from Habit Weekly and the Center for Advanced Hindsight at Duke University provides a fun and engaging way to learn about applied behavioral science and how to design for behavior change in practice.
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Behavioral Science Fiction with Samuel Salzer

The Behavioral Design PodcastJan 27, 2021

00:00
59:51
2023 in Review – Season 3 Finale 🌟

2023 in Review – Season 3 Finale 🌟

We've reached the end of Season 3! 🎉

In this finale, we give you the inside scoop on topics behavioral design from 2023. From our favorite resources to AI to films, we explore all things behavioral design, so you too are in the inside scoop! All resources are linked below. Enjoy!

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for supporting us throughout the year! We appreciate you! 🙏 🙌

Gratitude:

Favorite Resources:

Top 10 films:

  1. Fallen leaves
  2. Close
  3. Passages
  4. Luxembourg, Luxembourg
  5. Past Lives
  6. Beau Is Afraid
  7. One Fine Morning
  8. Barbie
  9. Oppenheimer
  10. Infinity Pool

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Support the podcast by joining ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Habit Weekly Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀. Members get access to extensive content databases, calls with field leaders, exclusive offers and discounts, and so much more.

Every Monday our ⁠⁠⁠Habit Weekly newsletter⁠⁠⁠ shares the best articles, videos, podcasts, and exclusive premium content from the world of behavioral science and business. 

Get in touch via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@habitweekly.com⁠⁠⁠

The song used is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Murgatroyd by David Pizarro⁠

Dec 14, 202351:40
Product Deep Dive: Pill Bottles 💊

Product Deep Dive: Pill Bottles 💊

Welcome to the latest Product Deep Dive! ⁠💊

In this bonus series of the Behavioral Design Podcast, we take a closer look at the seemingly simple, yet tremendously important, pill bottle.

Previous guest, Aarthi Rao, took her stab at designing the best pill bottle, so we decided to deep dive into all things behavioral design in the pill bottle world, ourselves! Easy, attractive, social, personalized...tune in to learn more, this one was a lot of fun!

Thank you to all of our listeners for supporting our podcast. Tune in next week for our Season 3 finale!
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Support the podcast by joining ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Habit Weekly Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀. Members get access to extensive content databases, calls with field leaders, exclusive offers and discounts, and so much more.

Every Monday our ⁠⁠Habit Weekly newsletter⁠⁠ shares the best articles, videos, podcasts, and exclusive premium content from the world of behavioral science and business. 

Get in touch via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@habitweekly.com⁠⁠

The song used is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Murgatroyd by David Pizarro⁠

Dec 06, 202352:43
Human-Centered Behavioral Design with Aarthi Rao

Human-Centered Behavioral Design with Aarthi Rao

Aarthi Rao leads behavioral insights at Cityblock Health, as their Vice President of Behavioral Insights and Strategic Engagement Innovation. Aarthi also founded the Design and Innovation Lab at CVS Health.

Aarthi has successfully merged human-centered practices, such as design thinking, with behavioral science at Cityblock. She is a strong advocate for merging qualitative and quantitative methods to better design patient experiences. Today we spoke to Aarthi about how to reach hard-to-reach communities, designing the perfect pill bottle that fits into a patient’s healthcare ecosystem, and so much more. Enjoy!

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Support the podcast by joining ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Habit Weekly Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀. Members get access to extensive content databases, calls with field leaders, exclusive offers and discounts, and so much more.

Every Monday our ⁠Habit Weekly newsletter⁠ shares the best articles, videos, podcasts, and exclusive premium content from the world of behavioral science and business. 

Get in touch via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@habitweekly.com⁠

The song used is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Murgatroyd by David Pizarro⁠

Nov 29, 202356:56
Designing for Diabetes with Steph Habif

Designing for Diabetes with Steph Habif

Steph Habif is known for a range of health behavior research and strategy, and for leading behavioral science at Tandem Diabetes. Today we chat with Steph about what she’s doing at Tandem to design for diabetic patients, working at the intersection of behavioral science and human-computer interaction. We also went over what Steph called behavioral science's branding problem.

Do you know someone who would enjoy Behavioral Design? Please tell them about us! Thanks for listening!

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Support the podcast by joining ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Habit Weekly Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀. Members get access to extensive content databases, calls with field leaders, exclusive offers and discounts, and so much more.

Every Monday our Habit Weekly newsletter shares the best articles, videos, podcasts, and exclusive premium content from the world of behavioral science and business.

Get in touch via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@habitweekly.com

The song used is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Murgatroyd by David Pizarro⁠

Nov 21, 202344:38
Product Deep Dive: Calendar 🗓️

Product Deep Dive: Calendar 🗓️

Welcome to the latest Product Deep Dive! 🗓️ In this bonus series of the Behavioral Design Podcast, we take a closer look at the all-so-famous, yet simple, calendar. Previous guests, Laurie Santos, Linda Babcock & Ashley Whillans all spoke to us about time, so we decided it was "time" (get it) to discuss it in more detail! Tune in to learn more about our love/hate relationship with the calendar, the pros and cons between more or less calendar, and so much more! Who knew calendars were so much fun? -- Support the podcast by joining ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Habit Weekly Pro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🚀 The song used is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Murgatroyd by David Pizarro.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get in touch via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@habitweekly.com

Nov 15, 202348:29
The No Club with Linda Babcock
Nov 08, 202356:54
Healthy Gamification with Mitesh Patel
Nov 02, 202345:24
Product Deep Dive: Autonomous Vehicles 🚗
May 31, 202339:22
Behavioral Public Policy with Nick Chater
May 25, 202350:55
Getting Psych'd with Paul Bloom

Getting Psych'd with Paul Bloom

In this episode we are delighted to welcome Paul Bloom, a distinguished developmental psychologist and Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto. Paul has authored seven books, including Aginst Empathy and his most recent, Psych: The Story of the Human Mind. He is one of the leading thinkers in psychology and has dedicated his career to exploring how people, both children and adults, make sense of the world through language, morality, pleasure, pain, and religion.

Join us as we engage in a thought-provoking conversation with Paul about the different subfields of psychology and what they can bring to the real world, from neuroscience to developmental psychology, cognitive, social, and clinical. This discussion evolves into a stimulating debate on the extent to which academia can truly contribute to industry.

For our product deep-dive, we challenge Paul to consider how concepts and methods from behavioral science could be used to improve the Bible, and delve into his perspective on the age-old question of nature versus nurture in shaping our lives. This episode should be a fascinating listen for anyone interested in the human mind, behavioral science, and the intersection between academia and industry.

Relevant links

Support the podcast by joining ⁠⁠⁠Habit Weekly Pro⁠⁠⁠ 🚀

The song used is ⁠⁠⁠Murgatroyd by David Pizarro.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠

Get in touch via ⁠⁠⁠podcast@habitweekly.com

May 10, 202351:37
Product Deep Dive: Conferences 🎤
May 03, 202334:20
Controversial Opinions with Dave Pizarro

Controversial Opinions with Dave Pizarro

In this episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast, we are delighted to speak with Dave Pizarro, esteemed professor at Cornell and Chief Science Officer at BE Works. Dave's extensive experience offers a unique perspective on the applications of behavioral science in both academic and industry settings.
Join us as we engage in a thought-provoking conversation with Dave about his research on moral views and how they shape judgments and behavior. We delve into the power and intricacies of reinforcement, the challenges of conducting research and translating findings in an industry context, and Dave's most controversial opinion in behavioral science.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in understanding the intersection of behavioral science in academia and the real world, and the potential for collaboration between the two spheres.
Relevant links

Dave’s website
Dave’s Twitter
Dave’s podcast

Support the podcast by joining ⁠⁠⁠Habit Weekly Pro⁠⁠⁠ 🚀
The song used is ⁠⁠⁠Murgatroyd by David Pizarro (yes, same guy!).⁠⁠⁠⁠
Get in touch via ⁠⁠⁠podcast@habitweekly.com
Apr 26, 202358:52
Product Deep Dive: Toothbrush
Apr 16, 202332:31
Engagement with Heather Cole-Lewis
Apr 05, 202353:38
Product Deep Dive: Personality Tests
Mar 29, 202325:54
Personality with Sanjay Srivastava
Mar 22, 202358:41
Product Deep Dive: Co-living Spaces
Mar 15, 202318:24
Happiness Design with Laurie Santos
Mar 08, 202350:00
We're Back! Behavioral Science & AI + Season 3 Preview 🎉
Feb 22, 202341:29
2021 in Review – Season 2 Finale! ✨
Dec 22, 202101:03:44
Existential Questions with Lindsay Juarez
Dec 08, 202145:36
Digital Health Behavior with Ingrid Melvær Paulin
Nov 24, 202146:07
Elements of Choice with Eric J. Johnson
Nov 10, 202143:09
Subtract w/ Gabe Adams & Leidy Klotz
Oct 28, 202153:14
No Hard Feelings with Liz Fosslien
Oct 13, 202149:42
Conspiracy Theories with Dan Ariely

Conspiracy Theories with Dan Ariely

In this episode, we speak with none other than Dan Ariely.

We assume most of our listeners are already familiar with Dan's work, and we cover plenty of ground in this fun and enlightening episode. You can expect to learn about why Dan began receiving death threats from COVID deniers, strategies for overcoming vaccination hesitancy, the promise of psychedelics for treating mental health, and lessons from Dan's personal journey. We also talk about couscous! 

Support the podcast by joining Habit Weekly Pro 🚀 and by giving us a review on Apple Podcast. Thanks!

The song used is Murgatroyd by David Pizzaro. 

Sep 29, 202155:56
The Power of Us with Jay Van Bavel
Sep 16, 202142:19
Being Time Smart with Ashley Whillans
Sep 01, 202151:59
How to Change with Katy Milkman
Aug 18, 202153:20
The Family Firm with Emily Oster
Aug 03, 202146:16
Season 1 Finale!
Jul 12, 202138:53
Blindsight & Neuroscience of Marketing with Matt Johnson and Prince Ghuman
Jun 18, 202148:04
Real-World Behavioral Economics with Kelly Peters
Jun 16, 202136:37
A Slight Change of Plans with Maya Shankar
Jun 14, 202128:28
The Science of Love & Dating with Logan Ury
Jun 02, 202145:17
Brainy Business with Melina Palmer
May 19, 202144:22
Making Better Decisions with Annie Duke
May 05, 202145:14
Lessons About the Brain with Lisa Feldman Barrett
Apr 21, 202154:27
Mindful Behavioral Science with Clare Purvis
Apr 07, 202147:02
The Behavioral Science of Policy and Organizations with Nina Mažar

The Behavioral Science of Policy and Organizations with Nina Mažar

This episode features an insightful conversation with the fantastic Nina Mažar. Nina has been part of founding BEworks, BEAR (Behavioral Economics in Action at Rotman center), and the World Banks' behavioral science team. She is currently professor of marketing and co-director of the Susilo Institute for Ethics in the Global Economy at Boston University. 

We cover several interesting topics, including how Nina got started in the field, three pieces of advice for starting a behavioral science unit, nudging for diversity and honesty, plus what to get next time you're ordering Balkan food. Enjoy!

Links:

Timestamps

00:23: Episode overview

01:41: Interview begins

02:02: Nina details her background in behavioral science

04:29: How Nina’s work in both industry and academia shaped her view on behavioral science research

08:49: Nina discusses setting up the World Bank’s behavioral science unit

11:59: Nina’s advice on setting up a behavioral science team in an organisation

  • Get shared buy-in within the organisation
  • Data collection capacities and well-functioning internal systems
  • Have a legal team on board

17:01: Reflecting on studies on dishonesty and nudging people via signature at the top

22:04: Why is the “bad apple” narrative so persistent?

24:16: How can behavioral science help counter discrimination and racism?

28:22: Countering gender bias in news reporting in Sweden via transparency

32:42: Underrated vs Overrated

  • Revealed preferences
  • Rationalisation
  • Replication studies
  • Crotian cuisine
  • Bosnian cuisine
  • Place’s Nina has lived
  • Origami

39:02: How Nina applies behavioral science in her own life

41:03: Concluding remarks

–––––

Timestamps & shownotes compiled by Keith Broni 🏆

The song used is Murgatroyd by David Pizzaro.

–––––

Mar 24, 202143:19
Building Habits with Wendy Wood

Building Habits with Wendy Wood

This episode is special. It features a conversation with the world-renowned habit researcher, Wendy Wood. Wendy has devoted the last 30 years to researching how habits work and recently published the fantastic book Good Habits, Bad Habits.

The episode is packed with insights, and we cover all things habits, from the difference between habits vs. routines to the impact of reward and context on habit formation. If you're curious to understand habits better, this episode is for you!

Links:

Key points:

  • Changing attitudes is often not enough – even when we change people's attitude, their behavior doesn't always follow. And it's the behavior we care about, what they do. 
  • The average person rarely distinguish between habits, behavior, intentions, beliefs and attitudes. "It's all all the same, all part of me and my decision making". It's important to differentiate these things as our brains consist of different systems that helps us accomplish different things.
  • There's a habit learning system designed specifically to pick up repetition of behaviour in a given context that generated some form of reward. We can think of reward as not money, but what makes you feel good. Habits are the context response associations that you form in memory, when you repeat a behaviour, often enough for the for it to become automatic. Additionally, routines are simply sequences of habit.
  • We can can change people's attitudes and beliefs for short periods, but these changes can disappear once they go back to real life if we fail to change the system. We need to understand the broader influences on someone's behavior in order to design contextual cues and rewards that helps them respond in new ways long-term.

Timestamps:
00:16: Episode overview

01:33: Interview starts

02:00: Wendy details her background and how she got started researching habits

03:55: Differentiating habits and behavior

06:50: Distinguishing between routines and habits

08:10: The automaticity of bias associations compared to the automaticity of habits

10:50: Can one-off trainings really be used to create new habits

13:16: Changing day-to-day environments and systems to change habits

16:28: Sam tells an anecdote about the influence of context on habits

18:30: The temporal dynamic of habit activation

20:42: Recurring contextual associations with a habit

21:27: Internal states as context cues for habits

23:52: Incentivising habits with rewards

26:54: Case study: encouraging use of an office’s stairs over an elevator

29:40: Best way to incentivise new habits

33:57: How is frequency related to establishing a new habit

35:30: The generalisation of habits

37:10: Overrated vs Underrated

  • Having a car
  • Experience sampling
  • Behaviorism
  • The clean plate club
  • Paris
  • The marshmallow study
  • Sidewalks
  • Rituals
  • Mise en place

44:47: What bad habit has been Wendy’s greatest nemesis in her personal life

47:36: Concluding remarks

–––––

Timestamps & shownotes compiled by Keith Broni 🏆

The song used is Murgatroyd by David Pizzaro.

Mar 10, 202149:37
Behavioral Design 2021 - State of the Field

Behavioral Design 2021 - State of the Field

The Behavioral Design 2021 state of the field report is out 🎉 The report provides a combination of perspectives and opinions from 20+ leaders in the field on the state of behavioral design and where we're headed. Listen in on this special episode where...
Feb 26, 202152:21
Behavioral Finance with Dan Egan

Behavioral Finance with Dan Egan

This episode features a fun conversation with the wonderful Dan Egan. Dan is the Director of Behavior Science and Investing at the innovative fin-tech company Betterment and is truly an authority on all things behavioral finance.We cover several...
Feb 24, 202134:42
Psychology of Engagement with Amy Bucher

Psychology of Engagement with Amy Bucher

This episode features a fantastic conversation with is Amy Bucher, VP of Behavior Change Design at Mad*Pow and author of Engaged: Designing for Behavior Change. The book offers a wonderful exploration of how we can incorporate behavioral design into our...
Feb 10, 202148:36
Behavioral Science Fiction with Samuel Salzer

Behavioral Science Fiction with Samuel Salzer

This episode features an interview with Behavioral Strategist, Author, and perhaps most importantly, co-host of this podcast – Samuel Salzer 🎉Aline puts Sam in the hot seat. The episode covers everything from behavioral science fiction, to why IKEA is...
Jan 27, 202159:51
Changing Digital Health Behavior with Aline Holzwarth

Changing Digital Health Behavior with Aline Holzwarth

This episode features an interview with Aline Holzwarth the new co-host for this podcast 🎉Aline is an applied behavioral scientist, specializing in digital health research and scientifically informed product design. She's also the head of Behavioral...
Jan 13, 202101:12:16
The Science of Rituals with Nick Hobson

The Science of Rituals with Nick Hobson

We all have our different rituals and that's what we'll explore in today's episode with the wonderful Nick Hobson.Nick has not only long studied the rituals of our everyday lives, but he also runs a successful consultancy helping organizations to better...
Dec 31, 202055:07
Exploring Behavioral Data Science with Ganna Pogrebna

Exploring Behavioral Data Science with Ganna Pogrebna

What the heck is Behavioral Data Science? That is what I asked myself earlier this year as I got introduced to the wonderful work by today's guest of the podcast - Ganna Pogrebna.Ganna has an extremely impressive resume. She is a decision theorist and a...
Dec 31, 202001:03:23
Crafting the Perfect Incentive Program with Kurt Nelson & Tim Houlihan

Crafting the Perfect Incentive Program with Kurt Nelson & Tim Houlihan

This episode is a fun two for one as it's a conversation with me and the wonderful duo, Kurt Nelson and Tim Houlihan.You're likely to recognize their voices as they host the popular Behavioral Grooves podcast where they explore the “why we do what we...
Dec 29, 202056:08
Changing Behavior at Scale with Josh Wright

Changing Behavior at Scale with Josh Wright

Welcome to another episode of the Behavioral Design Podcast by Habit Weekly. This episode is a treat and an early Christmas gift since it's a conversation with truly a leader in the field - Josh Wright.Josh is the Executive Director at ideas42, which...
Dec 16, 202055:11