The Framing Effect Read online "Does your kid have a ten-dollar head?" That's what Bell Helmets asked parents in this newspaper ad. It seems like a strange question until we understand the power of framing. Let's look at a study on beer to explain. In a study led by Donald Lichtenstein¹ from Colorado University, bar menus with descending price order increased average beer sales by 4%. Framing the menu with high-priced options first made the mid-range prices seem like a better deal. Sales for...

The Mere Exposure Effect Read online Loyal fans of Nudge will have heard me talk about the mere exposure effect. In 1969, psychologist Robert Zajonc¹ found that students rated unfamiliar Turkish words more favourably when they had seen them more often. It's not a revolutionary finding. We prefer things we're familiar with. And many great inventors knew this instinctively. Edison and the electric light bulb Thomas Edison understood that while the lightbulb was revolutionary, new inventions...

Specific Goals > Unspecific Goals Read online Unspecific goals don't work. Psychologists¹ Locke and Latham proved it. In 1975, the two researchers set up a real-world experiment at a logging company. Drivers were only loading trucks to 60% capacity. For the control, all staff members were given an unspecific goal: Unspecific goal = “Do your best.” Performance did not increase. The researchers then asked staff what a hard but fair goal would be. They said 94%. That became their new specific...