David A. Asch und Kevin G. Volpp verfassten für Harvard Business Review einen Artikel, welcher die Vorteile von verhaltensökonomischen Ansätzen im Gesundheitswesen aufzeigt. Denn traditionelle Ansätze funktionieren oftmals nicht optimal, weil sie von einer rationalen Entscheidungsfindung ausgehen.
„However, several decades of research reveal that many of our decisions don’t reflect rational choices, but rather irrational thinking that occurs in predictable ways. Experts in behavioral economics have been able to harness this predictability and lead us to the healthful behaviors we seek.“
(Harvard Business Review)
Dementsprechend spannend sind Vorschläge, wie verhaltensökonomische Ansätze einfacher implementiert werden können:
-
„Instead of giving a reward (such as a cash payment for completing a health-risk assessment or for not smoking) only to people after they meet a goal, give it to everyone in an account that they can see (like an online bank statement or even a physical gift card that isn’t yet activated). And take it away only if success is not achieved. This approach makes the reward tangible and within reach today, when the action needs to happen. It also takes advantage of our natural aversion to loss (people work harder to retain something than to earn it).
-
Use separate checks or gift cards to deliver benefits that would normally be buried in a paystub. In short, make the smaller incentives easier to see and, therefore, more influential.
-
Construct teams so that individual efforts become group achievements. For example, rather than merely encouraging individuals to walk more, create teams whose success depends on each member walking a minimum amount (say, 7,000 steps a day). Teams would also compete against each other for prizes or bragging rights. By enlisting social norms, you capitalize on the most powerful of human motivators.
-
Turn repetitive activities, like taking medication, into a daily game in which people are eligible to participate only if they took their medication the previous day. Such an approach effectively pairs the routine with engaging and emotionally positive experience.“
(Harvard Business Review)
Zum vollständigen Artikel in der Harvard Business Review geht es hier: Use Behavioral Economics to Achieve Wellness Goals.