MINDSPACE
A mnemonic to spell-out the psychological elements of the UK Government nudge approach:
M – Messenger: we are heavily influenced by who communicates information
I – Incentive: our responses to incentives are shaped by predictable mental shortcuts such as strongly avoiding losses
N – Norms: we are strongly influenced by what others do
D – Defaults: we “go with the flow” of pre-set options
S – Salience: our attention is drawn to what is novel and seems relevant to us
P – Priming: our acts are often influenced by sub-conscious cues
A – Affect: our emotional associations can powerfully shape our actions
C – Commitment: we seek to be consistent with our public promises, and reciprocate acts
E – Ego: we act in ways that make us feel better about ourselves
References:
Dolan, P., Hallsworth, M., Halpern, D., King, D., Vlaev, I., 2010. MINDSPACE: Influencing behaviour through public policy. Institute for Government & the Cabinet Office. (pdf)