The science behind decision-making
You’re not as rational as you think you are
Do you play the lottery even though you know that your chances of winning are next to impossible?
How many times do you press the snooze button even though you planned to go to the gym in the morning?
We are not as logical as we think we are. We are prone to cognitive biases and our behavior is heavily influenced by the environment and context around us. Behavioral science is the science of understanding human decision-making and recognizes that people often act irrationally, yet in predictable ways. For example, we are social beings, have an aversion to loss, and are biased to the present.
SOCIAL PROOF: We are social creatures, caring what others think of us and what others do
LOSS AVERSION: We are more impacted by losses than we are by equivalent gains
PRESENT BIAS: We value immediate gratification over benefits we will reap in the future
Behavioral science and healthcare
Healthcare leaders have typically taken a traditional approach to addressing their challenges. But innovators are now using behavioral science to drive change and tackle some of society’s greatest healthcare problems.
