What is Motivation?
Whilst willpower is considered as an essential tool with which to maintain effortful, goal-directed behaviour, it is equally important to address how such behaviour can be initially motivated. When an individual is first faced with the task of changing their behaviour, motivation may appear a slippery commodity. Moreover, encouraging populations to become motivated in the…
The Particular Importance of Keeping Cold
Dual-process theory describes the existence of two decision-making systems; the evaluative, rational ‘cold’ and the impulsive, instinctive ‘hot’. Cognitive bias can influence both systems, however we are more likely to employ bias when the cold system is compromised, given its lower effort requirement as a decision-making tool. Although cognitive biases can help us to make…
Out of Time vs. Out of Touch
Dual-process theory describes the existence of two systems, which largely dictate how we make decisions. The complications and complexities of modern life often mean that our resource-dependent ‘cold’ system can become overwhelmed – we simply don’t have the cognitive capacity to make decision after decision in a rational manner. Cognitive biases refer to mental representations which…
Why Do We Do One Thing and Say Another?
Throughout history, our behaviour has been dominated by an innate drive for survival. Often our strongest desires are also the ones that are the oldest evolutionarily; the congenital impulses that will aid our ability to reproduce and pass on our genes to the next generation. Over time, the brain has developed and evolved to enable…
Wales Centre for Behaviour Change: Approach, Theory and Application
Voyage into Chaos One challenge for positive psychology is in providing solutions that generalize or have universal effects (particularly given its scope across the population). However, there is some evidence that not everyone benefits from the same intervention (Lyubomirsky et al., 2011). Indeed, our own work in primary schools using interventions such as Three Good…
Workshop on the use of evidence in public sector policy
I am sitting on stage, next to Dr Ruth Hussey, Chief Medical Officer for Wales. There is a large audience looking expectantly at us. Sir Adrian Webb of the Big Lottery is directing questions from the floor. Someone has just asked how we can get politician’s to be more accepting of research evidence when they…
Changing Behaviour at Bangor University
Over 40 academics attended our Research Innovation workshop on behaviour change. I don’t think I am exaggerating when I say that it was a vibrant and excited crowd of people who we keen to make the most of the 4 hour session. There were some hungry looking faces by the end, but talk of obesity…
Helping Business Behave
We all know how to live a better life. For a start, we would eat more fruit and vegetables, we would exercise more, probably drink a little less. We would also stop smoking. We would work hard and enjoy the time we have with our friends and families. We’d also do more in the local…
Kolding Design Camp 2012
What do you do when you want to change someone’s behaviour? You can ask them to change. You could put up a poster. Perhaps try and explain why they should change. Or alternatively, you could make subtle changes to the environment to subtly influence the automatic behaviour of the individual to do what you want…