Power of Norms to Spark Connections

Question: What is the greatest import to USA from Scandinavian culture?

Answer: Normalising the idea of having a 'designated driver'

I've herded resources on the power of norms to spark connections in your neural circuitry ????

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?? Article for you to geek out

Ogilvy UK's Vice Chairman Rory Sutherland highlights that?this language import was the inspiration for the Harvard School of Public Health to coin the term 'designated driver' in a unique partnership with Hollywood’s TV networks. The concept spread like wildfire through top-rated television programs like Cheers and L.A. Law, making it the new norm for one person to remain alcohol-free.

When the 'designated driver' campaign began in late 1988, annual alcohol-related traffic fatalities stood at 23,626 in America. By 1994, fatalities had declined by 30%.

The strength of this approach was the short and precise words depicting what constitutes the ‘norm’ behaviour. Through the means of television in popular culture, this shaped people’s perceptions of what others do to avoid drinking after driving.

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??? Add this to your toolkit

When collective practices are partly driven by social norms, they warrant very specific interventions. This publication is meant to help overcome these challenges.

I recommend following Cláudia Sim?o, PhD for more behavioural science tools. Super grateful that you brought this guide to my attention.

Get the UNICEF guide here

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?? One more book for your library

Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics by Richard Thaler

Whether buying an alarm clock, selling football tickets, or applying for a mortgage, we all succumb to biases and make decisions that deviate from the standards of rationality assumed by economists. In other words, we misbehave.

“The purely economic man is indeed close to being a social moron. Economic theory has been much preoccupied with this rational fool.”

“Psychologists tell us that in order to learn from experience, two ingredients are necessary: frequent practice and immediate feedback.”

“The ideal organisational environment encourages everyone to observe, collect data, and speak up.”

That's a wrap from last week's neural connections: 9 of 52

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