Nudges

Goals

1. Describe nudges.
2. Skillfully use nudges to design healthy environments.
3. Recognize when nudges are being used to promote unhealthy behaviors.

What is a Nudge

The nudge concept comes from Thaler and Sunstein in “Nudge.”

A nudge is a small change in the way choices are presented that influences behavior without restricting options or significantly changing economic incentives. Nudges work by shaping the context in which people make decisions—this is called “choice architecture.”

For example:

• Placing fruit at eye level in a cafeteria encourages healthier eating.
• Setting automatic enrollment in retirement plans boosts participation.

Nudges are most effective when they make the better choice easier, more visible, or more natural.

Why Learn About Nudges

• Nudges can promote well-being with minimal effort or cost.
• They help people overcome biases like procrastination or decision fatigue.
• Understanding nudges makes it easier to build environments that support health, learning, and productivity.
• Recognizing nudges helps guard against manipulation.

How to Design Using Nudges

To use nudges ethically and effectively:

• Make the healthy or beneficial choice the default (e.g. opt-out organ donation).
• Simplify choices—too many options can paralyze decision-making.
• Use reminders, prompts, or visual cues to guide behavior.
• Design for timing—place helpful nudges when people make decisions.
• Respect autonomy—people can always choose another path.

Examples:

• A reminder text to take medication.
• A checklist for pilots or surgeons.
• A speed limit sign that flashes when drivers go too fast.

How to Recognize Unhealthy Nudges

Unhealthy nudges exploit cognitive shortcuts for harmful outcomes. Watch for:

• Default settings that benefit a company but not the user (e.g. auto-renew subscriptions).
• Visual placement that encourages impulse buys (e.g. candy at checkout).
• Scarcity cues or countdown timers that pressure people into buying.
• Hidden costs or unclear options.

Ask:

• Does this make a bad choice too easy or attractive?
• Are the benefits skewed toward the nudger, not the chooser?
• Is the choice architecture transparent and fair?

Understanding nudges means you can use them for good—and defend against those who don’t.

When to Use Nudges

Use nudges when you want to help yourself or others make better choices—especially when:

1. The Decision Is Frequent or Important

• Daily habits like eating, exercising, or sleeping
• Recurring decisions like saving money or taking medication
• One-time but high-stakes choices like organ donation or selecting a school

2. The Better Choice Is Clear but Often Overlooked

• People know what’s good for them, but forget, delay, or get distracted
• Nudges can make the better option easier, faster, or more attractive

3. Motivation Is High, but Follow-Through Is Weak

• Nudges support action by reducing friction or prompting at the right moment
• Useful for goals like quitting smoking, starting a project, or being on time

4. You Want to Respect Freedom of Choice

• Nudges guide behavior without using force or blocking alternatives
• People stay in control but are gently steered toward healthier or wiser actions

5. Environments Are Shaping Choices in Harmful Ways

• When defaults, ads, or product placement lead to poor outcomes (e.g. junk food at checkout)
• Nudges can realign the environment with long-term well-being

In short:

Use nudges when you want better decisions—without pressure, force, or guilt.

They’re ideal for shaping behavior in a way that feels natural, effortless, and respectful.

Types of Nudges

To design and evaluate nudges effectively, it’s helpful to use a classification system that is both collectively exhaustive (covers all major types) and mutually exclusive (no overlap between types). One such refined scheme divides nudges into four distinct categories:

1. Defaults and Structural Nudges

These nudges alter the structure of the choice environment by setting a particular option as the path of least resistance.

Examples:

• Default settings: Automatically enrolling employees in retirement plans.
• Pre-selected options: Checkboxes already ticked during online purchases.
• Arrangement of options: Placing healthier foods at eye level in stores or cafeterias.

These nudges guide behavior by making the desired action the easiest or most automatic choice.

2. Information and Salience Nudges

These nudges work by changing how information is presented, making certain details more noticeable or easier to understand.

Examples:

• Simplification: Breaking down complex forms or instructions.
• Salient cues: Color-coded labels to signal healthy vs. unhealthy foods.
• Reminders and prompts: Appointment reminder texts or visual alerts.
• Feedback: Energy usage reports comparing your usage to neighbors’.

The goal here is to support better decision-making by making the relevant facts stand out at the right time.

3. Social and Normative Nudges

These nudges leverage our social instincts—our desire to conform, cooperate, or maintain reputation.

Examples:

• Descriptive norms: “Most people in your area vote.”
• Social comparisons: Your water usage compared to efficient neighbors.
• Public commitments: Pledging a goal in front of others.

These nudges are effective because humans are wired to care about what others do or expect.

4. Framing and Self-Regulation Nudges

These nudges help people align their actions with long-term goals by influencing how choices are framed or how impulse control is supported.

Examples:

• Gain vs. loss framing: “Save $5 a day” instead of “Spend $150 a month.”
• Pre-commitment tools: Apps that block distracting websites during work hours.
• Cooling-off periods: Mandatory delays before large purchases.
• Goal cues: Visual trackers showing progress toward a health or savings goal.

These nudges don’t change the options themselves but shape how people perceive or act on them, supporting better self-control.

How to Remember the Main Nudge Types

Use the acronym DISF to remember the four major ways to shape choice through nudges:

Defaults, Information, Social, and Framing.

This classification is mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive—making it easier to design or critique nudges without missing key elements or overlapping categories.

To steer choices wisely, DISF the environment: Default it, Inform it, Socialize it, and Frame it.