Learning about behavioral science
Many people are curious to learn more about behavioral science. Luckily, there are resources you can check out to learn about the variety of concepts, tools and career paths out there. I’ve pulled together a short list of my favorite books, podcasts, and other various media that you might be interested in.
Books
I think many applied behavioral scientists first came to learn and love the work through reading about it. I’ve included a few of my favorite books here. There’s also a fairly comprehensive list that the Habit Weekly team put together which you might find useful. If you think there’s something I should read, let me know here.
Popular Behavioral Science
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PREDICTABLY IRRATIONAL (DAN ARIELY)
Dan is a great communicator and this is a fun, engaging book to learn about some core ideas in behavioral economics.
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NUDGE (RICHARD THALER AND CASS SUNSTEIN)
Another classic. As a public policy grad, I was really excited about the ways you could incorporate behavioral economics into policy design.
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BEHAVE (ROBERT SAPOLSKY)
This is a bit of a tome, but I think it’s worth it if you’re looking to learn about some broader influences on behavior. It kicks off with a lengthy neuroscience primer and has many helpful overviews of dense topics and research.
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HAPPY MONEY (ELIZABETH DUNN & MIKE NORTON)
This slim volume captures five key insights about our relationship with money and how we can use it to increase our happiness. It’s a quick read with broad application.
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DRIVE (DAN PINK)
I like pretty much anything Dan Pink has written, but I recommend this one first if you’re looking for a primer on motivation and the often-overlooked elements of intrinsic motivation.
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SCARCITY (SENDHIL MULLAINATHAN)
A key component of applied behavioral science is an appreciation for context. And one of the most important elements of context for many decision-makers is scarcity (of time, money, etc). This book is a quick overview of interesting research.
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LOADED (SARAH NEWCOMB)
This is an interesting and useful look into how our psychology shapes our relationship with money, the narratives we hold, and the difference between a need and a strategy. I keep coming back to ideas from this book years after reading it.
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ALCHEMY (RORY SUTHERLAND)
I loved this quirky book and the counter-intuitive thinking that it highlights. Definitely a spiritual successor to David Ogilvy’s “Ogilvy on Advertising” in terms of wit and insight.
Not exactly behavioral, but here’s a few that I thought highlighted interesting elements of psychology (and are the type of book I prefer reading to pop science)
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FATES AND FURIES (LAUREN GROFF)
I’ll read anything by Lauren Groff and would encourage you to do the same. This novel is the story of a marriage told in two parts by the two partners.
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PACHINKO (MIN JIN LEE)
The story of a Korean family living in Japan, told across several generations. I thought it beautifully captured the ways in which our choices are inherited from our families and circumstances.
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A CONSTELLATION OF VITAL PHENOMENA (ANTHONY MARRA)
I’m usually a little skeptical of stories that jump around in time, but Anthony Marra uses it to beautiful effect here. You read one chapter and think “How could anyone do that?” and by the next chapter you think “Well, how could the outcome have been anything else?”
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EXHALATION (TED CHIANG)
I’m a sucker for sci-fi and for short stories, so this book was already likely to win me over. Some great reflections on memory, power, and living with the choices we make.
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HOW TO WRITE ONE SONG (JEFF TWEEDY)
It’s always a pleasant surprise when someone who excels at an activity is also good at explaining it to other people. Jeff Tweedy does a great job of that in this short book, plus some great insights into identity and intrinsic motivation from a songwriter’s perspective.
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MEDALLION STATUS (JOHN HODGMAN)
I worked for several years at a company that specialized in loyalty programs, like the travel rewards program John Hodgman describes in this hilarious book. A very funny way to learn about the power of incentives!
Podcasts
A great way to learn about behavioral science is to find a topic or person you would like to learn more about and listen to podcasts that they have joined. The conversations are typically a bit less polished than a formal presentation and can veer into interesting territory. I’ve included the three that I listen to most frequently below, though there are many others out there! (And, you’ll notice that one of the ones I listen to a lot is because I’m a co-host of it).
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Action Design Radio
This is a podcast that I co-host with Erik Johnson (Zach Simon is our producer). We try to find interesting angles and stories that will be of particular value to practitioners.
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Behavioral Grooves
I met Tim and Kurt right around the time they started podcasting and since then they have been incredibly prolific! If you’re looking for a topic or speaker, there’s a good chance they’ve either already interviewed them or they’re in the queue.
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The Behavioral Design Podcast
A joint venture of Habit Weekly and the Center for Advanced Hindsight, this is a curated and well-produced podcast from Aline and Samuel. They have some fantastic guests and get into some interesting conversations.
Resources
So what else is out there for someone interesting in learning more about behavioral science? Well, a lot. You can watch TED talks from your favorite authors and researchers, you can follow behavioral scientists on social media, you can start reading academic papers for some of your favorite findings. Here, I’ve put together a few resources that might be helpful. If you’re looking for more, you might check out the Train or Grow sections as well.
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Bescy Meetups
One great way to learn more about behavioral science is to meet up with others who are also interested! Since 2012, Bescy (formerly Action Design Network) has hosted events to bring people together to learn from each other and build community.
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HABIT WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
This newsletter is a great aggregator of interesting podcasts, books, articles, and other things that happened that week.
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NUDGESTOCK
Online events are lame. But somehow this one is fun? Leave it to the creative folks at Ogilvy (if you read Alchemy, you’ll understand) to make this a fun, interesting, and diverse event every year.
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BSPA NEWSLETTER
BSPA (the Behavioral Science and Policy Association) is a good place to see what’s happening on the more academic side of things. It’s still presented for a lay audience, but features new research and events with an academic and policy focus.
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THE BEHAVIORAL LENS
The Behavioral Lens is the Busara Center’s monthly newsletter. It features interesting stories and insights from their work in Latin America, Africa, and India.
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BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST
Behavioral Scientist publishes interesting articles and curates a newsletter that is worth subscribing to. They typically do a round-up of new behavioral science books and they share tools and guides that might be useful to you.