Podcast Episode 108: Critical Thinking & Behavior Change – Dr. Jason Riis

Cognitive Biases and Cultural Factors Influence the Way We Think

People are not “naturally good” at critical thinking – the human brain is not wired for this. Jason shares that Nobel prize winning research has shown that people systematically make errors in critical thinking: confirmation bias, confusing correlation for causation, relying on anecdotal evidence, overconfidence.

When it comes to behavior change, we should be relentless in trying to make the desired behavior easier.” – Jason Riis

The Behavioral Change Framework

There are many challenges inherent in behavior change. Jason discusses the “intention-action gap” and a 3-part strategy for understanding and improving behavior change efforts.

Guest Bio:

Jason Riis is the founder of Behavioralize, a consulting firm dedicated to applying behavioral science to helping organizations solve consumer behavior challenges. He works across industries but most of his work is in food and healthcare. He has a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Michigan, and he spent 10 plus years as a full-time faculty member at Harvard Business School and then at the Wharton School (at the University of Pennsylvania) where he taught courses in marketing and consumer behavior.

Resources:

Jason’s website | Twitter

Recommended Books: