Is Screen Time Bad for Kids? It Depends On the Screen
By Aaron Metzger, Ph.D.
January 5, 2022
Even before the pandemic, U.S. children spent a lot more time looking at screens than experts recommend. However, a new national poll from the U.S. Parent Norms & Behavior Survey from Marketing […]
Want to Change Behavior? The Clock is Ticking
By Sara Isaac
April 30, 2021
Ashley Whillans has found it — the missing ingredient. A behavioral scientist and assistant professor at Harvard Business School, Whillans’s research has uncovered a key component of behavioral interventions that has long […]
Stop Using Myths & Facts — You are Spreading Misinformation
By Sara Isaac
April 14, 2021
Early in the pandemic, when masks and hand sanitizer were scarcer than toilet paper, I drove through a giveaway event run by my local government. Along with a generous supply of PPE […]
The Dark Side of Gratitude: 3 Reasons NOT to Give Thanks
By Sara Isaac
November 25, 2020
So much has been written about how gratitude is good for you. Many studies have shown that practicing gratitude can help you be healthier, happier, and more able to hold onto relationships. […]
How #BlackOutTuesday Backlash Could be Hurting the Movement
By Karen Ong Barone
June 4, 2020
For many, the days since George Floyd’s death feels like a new dystopian world. A world of protests, curfews, rioting, teargas, rubber bullets, and an overwhelming feeling of anger, sadness, stress and, […]
How COVID-19 is Shaping a New Normal for U.S. Parents
By Peter Mitchell
April 15, 2020
Normal is changing, and now, we have a statistical glimpse of what that means for parents. For most, it has meant more frequent family dinners and movie nights. For many, it has […]
Public Health is My Health
By Peter Mitchell
April 1, 2020
You heard her: “There’s no magic bullet.” White House Task Force Coordinator Deborah Brix told us Monday, “There’s no magic vaccine or therapy. It’s just behaviors.”
Coronavirus Has Hit — Here’s Why You’re Still Not Washing Your Hands
By Sara Isaac
March 13, 2020
My local Costco has run out of toilet paper. Home Depot has been raided of all N95 masks. Across the country, big in-person gatherings have been canceled for the foreseeable future, and […]
Behavioral Science v. Social Marketing — Which is Better for Behavior Change?
By Sara Isaac
January 23, 2020
I’m a practitioner at a behavior change marketing agency with roots in social marketing. Then last year I ran off to the London School of Economics (two jet-lagged weeks at a time) […]
Why Guilt and Fear Appeals Backfire
By Sara Isaac
August 22, 2019
We’ve all felt it — what I call the “Screw You Don’t Tell Me What To Do” effect. So why do we keep thinking it will work with other people? Here’s what […]
Why Cass Sunstein Hates Sludge — And How You Can Harness it for Good
By Sara Isaac
July 11, 2019
Cass Sunstein, the gentle intellectual giant of behavioral economics, is on a crusade against sludge. Not the slimy industrial ooze that the word “sludge” calls to mind, but an evil white-collar cousin: […]
You are Cursed by Knowledge. Here’s What to Do to Break Free.
By Sara Isaac
June 6, 2019
I work with experts all the time. People who are deeply informed and passionate about helping people and the planet. People who — except for a tendency to use a ton of […]