Using neuroscience to influence behavior

USING NEUROSCIENCE TO INFLUENCE HUMAN BEHAVIOR “Come on now, who you think you are? Bless your soul, you really think you’re in control?” - Gnarls Barkley Welcome to the experiment Assignments • Today - Time provided to meet with team, discuss and post to Coursework • Tuesday - Meet with team after class to build Desire Engine for group assignment • • Wednesday - Work on team and individual assignments • Friday - Presentations Present individual assignment (5 each) or group assignment (15-20 min) (but only if entire team agrees) Thursday - Time provided to meet with team, discuss and post to Coursework The nature of behavior One brain, two minds • Elephant = impulsive mind • Rider = Rational mind • Path = the environment Willpower is the strength of the rider Where the elephant lives • “Primitive” parts of brain • Basal ganglia • Storage of instinctual habitual behaviors • Nucleus accumbens • Center of reward system • Wants immediate gratification / satiation Where the rider lives • “Newest” part of brain • Pre-frontal cortex (PFC) • Executive function • Controls impulses and higher level thinking Think of your behaviors • What are the routines, habits, skills, addictions in one’s life? Amateur behaviors Amateur Do Resist doing Low High Self-Control Required What defines amateur behaviors? • The rider and elephant are in sync • Easy to do, but also easy to forget • Reward, process motivated, “for the love” • Long-term Rationalization and commitment Jesse Schell, Professor of game design, Carnegie Mellon University The preference cycle Investment: “Should I ‘spend’ on this?” Confirmation: “Since I spent on it before, and I am not an idiot, it must be good.” Rationalization: “Only an idiot would have ‘spent’ on something not good.” Little investments, big results Group 1: 17% accepted Group 2: 76% accepted Source: Freedman & Fraser, 1966 Adaptive preference formation • Changing preferences to be more compatible with the situation • We acquire preferences to serve our need to be consistent • Relieve pain of cognitive dissonance Source: Jon Esler, 1983 Acquiring taste • Think of the first time you tried spicy food or alcohol • Acquiring taste follows similar patterns of rationalization to avoid cognitive dissonance • Change ourselves as we change our preferences • “I’m a drinker.” Motivating through identity • Registered voters completed survey the day before or the morning of the election • “How important is it to you to be a voter in the upcoming election?” (Noun) • “How important is it to you to vote in the upcoming election?” (Verb) • • Tracked who actually voted How we see ourselves (the nouns) shape what we Source: Bryan, Walton, Rogers, and Dweck, 2011 “the largest experimental effects ever observed on objectively measured voter turnout.” In summary: • We over value the results of our labor (endowment effect) • But need to rationalize this irrational value (cognitive dissonance) • One way to this is to change our taste (adaptive preference formation) • And behave in line with how we see ourselves (identity shaping) Your turn • How could you use small investments and commitments to make your partner’s behavior more likely to occur? • Brainstorm with the person next to you for each • Write this down and be prepared to share Desire Engines create routines Low engagement High engagement - External triggers - Low preference - Internal triggers - High preference Email T A Icon on phone Procrastinate, anxiety, thoughts of others Open unread messages R I Write back Tribe, hunt and self Spectator sports T A Everywhere Monday, boredom, anxiety Watch VR I Identify self as fan Buy stuff Attend events Outcome (Self) Fandom - belonging (Tribe) Capturing the win (Hunt) With more cycles Increase motivation and difficulty of action Greater loyalty, increased price inelasticity, greater satisfaction Using neuroscience to influence human behavior • Preferences to behaviors • Behaviors to routines • Routines to habits • Habits become who we are What are you going to with this? • When is it right to “give people what they want?” • When are people really in control? • When is it ok to manipulate? Use this for good and take a survey www.OpinionTo.us [...]... your skillful behavior? Creating skillful behaviors • Deliberate practice • Focus on fixing failures • Grit and persistence • Often with coaching Skillful behaviors Running Amateur Skillful - Casual enjoyment - Jog into old age - Goal driven - Win a marathon Habitual behaviors Do Resist doing Habitual Low High Self-Control Required Habitual behaviors What defines habitual (negative) behaviors? • The... The rider tries to control the elephant • Constant temptation • Struggle with desire How did you stop your habitual behavior? Resisting habitual behaviors • Mindfulness • Surfing the urge, creating space (ex - 10minute rule) • Reminder of purpose • Self-compassion Addictive behaviors Do Addictive Resist doing Low High Self-Control Required Addictive behaviors What defines addictive behaviors? • The... charging • Self-destructive • Extremely hard to resist Resisting addictive behaviors • Reigning in the elephant • Abstinence, removal of cues • Physical detoxification • Social support • Root cause analysis Behavior types Amateur Skillful Habitual Addictive Do Resist doing Low High Self-Control Required Matching behavior types with change methods Change with right tool Behavior type Change method Change methods...Amateur behaviors How did you create your amateur behavior? Creating amateur behaviors • Create a path for the elephant • Make it simple, easy • Placing well-timed cues • “Baby steps” Skillful behaviors Skillful Do Resist doing Low High Self-Control Required Skillful behaviors What defines skillful behaviors? • Rider is steering the elephant • Outcome,... Train the rider to push the elephant Resist doing Train the rider to pull the elephant Reign the elephant Low High Self-Control Required Does the method match the type? • “No pain, no gain” • “Never quit” • “Set strict goals” • “Hold yourself accountable” Healthy lifestyle • • • Over a lifetime Do (amateur behaviors): • • Physical activity Eating healthy foods Resist doing (habitual behaviors): • • ...Welcome to the experiment Assignments • Today - Time provided to meet with team, discuss and post to Coursework • Tuesday - Meet with team after class to build Desire Engine for... in sync • Easy to do, but also easy to forget • Reward, process motivated, “for the love” • Long-term Amateur behaviors How did you create your amateur behavior? Creating amateur behaviors • Create... Matching behavior types with change methods Change with right tool Behavior type Change method Change methods Do Create the path Train the rider to push the elephant Resist doing Train the rider to