The Effort Illusion Read online In 2003, two researchers¹ proved the illusion of effort. It means we value things more if we believe it took a lot of time to create. Chinander and Schweitzer had groups watch identical presentations. Groups were told one of two things: "This presentation took 8 hours and 34 minutes to prepare." "This presentation took 37 minutes to prepare." Those told the presentation took longer to prep rated it significantly higher. Can I prove this works? On Nudge, I like...

The Nature Effect Read online Are you happier outside? In one 2013 study¹ one million iPhone notifications were sent to 20,000 Brits at various times of day, over a six-month period. The app prompted participants to report their happiness. The app used in the study The phone's GPS determined if the participant was outside or inside. Turns out, those outdoors were much happier. Compared to those inside, participants outside were "significantly and substantially happier", according to the...

The Framing Effect Read online Many plant-based products are failing due to bad naming. In 2018¹, a study was conducted with 727 Brits who already ate meat. Renaming the “𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐭-𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭” to “𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝-𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭” made diners 200% more likely to pick the plant-based option. Similarly, renaming “𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐭-𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐡” as “𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝-𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐡” made it twice as popular. The paper went on to find that a Veggie Burger will be more popular if it’s called a “𝐋𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐫”. And...