Debunking the myths of behavioural science

There’s no doubt that the field of behavioural science is growing — it has made contributions in the world of business as well as other areas such as health, education and more. However, there are many misconceptions and myths surrounding behavioural science that detract from its true value and potential.

In this blog post, I want to ‘debunk’ some of the biggest myths when it comes to behavioural science, based on my own experience and from talking to others in this space.

Myth #1: Behavioural science is just ‘common sense’.

One of the most persistent myths about behavioural science is that it is simply a collection of ‘obvious’ insights about human behaviour...

While some of the findings of behavioural science may seem intuitive, some of the most important insights of behavioural science are actually surprising and?counterintuitive. If I turn to the use of social proof, highlighting that many people in the neighbourhood litter and that this is a growing problem may not have the desired effect of reducing littering. In fact, it can mean that?more?people litter — because they think ‘oh well, everyone else is’.

Behavioural science is a rigorous, scientific field that relies on empirical research and ultimately experimentation to get to the heart of human behaviour.

Myth #2: Behavioural changes happen overnight.

Another common misconception about behavioural science is that it can produce rapid and lasting behaviour change with minimal effort. In reality, lasting behaviour change is actually slow and often very difficult to achieve. We are humans and humans don’t change easily! Plus, you may be undoing long term engrained behaviour that also has a range of social factors at play.

Behavioural science can provide useful tools and insights to facilitate behaviour change, but it’s key to remember that it is not a quick fix or means change happens overnight.

Myth #3: Behavioural science is all theory and no action.

Although behavioural science is indeed a field that can require lengthy study, the best application of it is through tangible action. That might mean observing your customers in their environment (ethnography), running A/B tests and basically just getting stuck in. You may know 100 heuristics off by heart — but if you’re unable to apply them, they won’t be much use. I have found this to be one of the biggest challenges when trying to implement behavioural science in large organisations — it can’t always be done behind a laptop.

Myth #4: There is a behavioural silver bullet.

Another common myth is that there is a single, universal approach that can be used to change any behaviour. In reality, different people are motivated by different things, and what works for one person may not work for another. Behavioural science provides a toolkit of techniques and approaches that should be?tailored?to specific contexts and individuals.

Myth #5: Behavioural science is not really a science.

Finally, some people dismiss behavioural science even being a science. However those who are on the ground auctioneers in this space know that it requires empirical research and experimentation to really get to the core of human behaviour. There are a wide range of tools that can be used, from experiments and surveys to ethnography and statistical modelling, all of which are used to test hypotheses and gain new insights.

Closing thoughts

Behavioural science can be a great tool in many different areas. In business, it can be used in everything from encouraging desired customer behaviour, to driving increased purchases and dales.

But first we need to debunk the biggest myths in this space. Only then can we get closer to understanding its true value and potential.

This article was originally published on www.nilukakavanagh.com and on Medium @nilukakavanagh