Nudge - Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness - Richard Thaler / Cass Sunstein

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ISBN: 978-0-300-12223-7

Verdict: 👍👍


The book, quite rightly so, starts with a nice definition found on page 6 of what is to follow i.e. "A nudge, as we will use the term, is any aspect of the choice architecture that alters people’s behaviour in a predictable way without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives."


It is an enjoyable read and does not disappoint, it takes a basic concept from parts of human behavioural science and expands with some good examples of “Choice Architecture” to reinforce the concepts. My one criticism is that it is written with an American, as all case studies and examples are US centric and, in some cases, not relevant to a British reader, hence my 2 thumbs - but still a good read. 


Here are my favourite snippets from the book;

  •        “If an option is designated as a “default”, it will attract a large market share. Default options thus act as powerful nudges.”   p35
  •        “Small interventions and even coincidences, at a key stage, can produce large variations in outcomes” p63
  •        We agree. Incentive-based approaches are more efficient and more effective, and they also increase freedom of choice p166

All in all a nice read – I did gain some useful insights which made me think and thats always good thing ! 

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