Biases & Heuristics
SCIENCE DOMAIN

BIASES & HEURISTICS

Work with cognitive shortcuts rather than against them. Use social proof, framing effects, and perceptual biases to make the desired choice feel natural and attractive.

3 strategies|9 techniques
DOMAIN OVERVIEW

BIASES & HEURISTICS

Biases and Heuristics are the mental shortcuts people use to make decisions quickly. Rather than fighting these cognitive patterns, effective behaviour change works with them - using social proof, framing effects, and pe...

"Which cognitive bias or heuristic is currently working against your desired outcome - and how can you redirect it?"

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BIASES & HEURISTICS

OVERVIEW

Biases and Heuristics are the mental shortcuts people use to make decisions quickly. Rather than fighting these cognitive patterns, effective behaviour change works with them - using social proof, framing effects, and perceptual biases to make the desired choice feel natural, attractive, and socially validated. This domain draws on Kahneman's dual-process theory, social psychology, and choice architecture.

KEY QUESTION

Which cognitive bias or heuristic is currently working against your desired outcome - and how can you redirect it?

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STRATEGIES

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STRATEGY
3 TECHNIQUES

SOCIAL

make it social

Harness the power of social influence. People look to others - especially peers and authority figures - to determine what is correct, desirable, and expected. Social proof, shared goals, and visible status systems can tr...

"How can you make the desired behaviour visible, social, and collectively reinforced?"

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SOCIAL

TECHNIQUES
#71

Social Proof

Reveal what other people think, do or say to influence people's behaviour, especially in situations of uncertainty.

#73

Shared Goal

Encourage people to jointly move towards a shared goal to foster a sense of belonging.

#80

Leaderboard

Leverage people's need to win and advance their social standing.

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STRATEGY
3 TECHNIQUES

EMPOWERING

make it empowering

Give people a sense of agency, competence, and creative control. When people feel capable and autonomous, they are far more likely to engage and persist. Empowerment strategies tap into intrinsic motivation by making peo...

"How can you give people more control over the process while guiding them toward the desired outcome?"

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EMPOWERING

TECHNIQUES
#51

Self-set Goals

Encourage people to set their own goals - self-determined targets create stronger commitment and intrinsic motivation.

#54

Creative Challenge

Provide tools and environments to encourage out-of-the-box thinking.

#57

Placebo Button

Introduce a push-button or other control that has only apparent functionality and aims at providing an illusion of control over a system, situation or environment.

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STRATEGY
3 TECHNIQUES

ATTRACTIVE

make it attractive

Use framing, contrast, and perceptual biases to make the desired option more appealing. People don't evaluate options in isolation - they compare, contrast, and are influenced by how choices are presented. Strategic fram...

"How are you framing the choice - and what would happen if you reframed it through a different lens?"

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ATTRACTIVE

TECHNIQUES
#11

Decoy Effect

Introduce a seemingly useless middle option - that nobody wants - to make an expensive one seem more attractive.

#12

Halo Effect

Leverage people's biased judgments of transferring their feelings about one attribute of something to other, unrelated, attributes.

#15

Gain-frame

Frame a message to emphasise the benefits that can be acquired by following the suggested course of action.

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