The hottest Behavioral Science Substack posts right now

Left-wing authoritarians are averse to masculine-looking men.
Masculinized men can be perceived as threatening by left-wing authoritarians due to their physical advantages in conflict.
Evolutionary history influences how people make judgments about others based on appearance, impacting social interactions and group dynamics.

Behavioral frameworks play a crucial role in product development by focusing on influencing user behavior and decision-making.
Frameworks like EAST, Hooked, and Influence offer practical guidelines for improving products by making actions easy, attractive, and timely.
Models like COM-B and Fogg's Behavior Model help product teams consider the wider environment and factors influencing user behavior.

To get into tech as a behavioral scientist, consider starting in a junior PM role, transferring internally, working at a startup, or starting your own company.
Before transitioning into tech, make sure you enjoy building software and understand how tech teams work.
Experienced behavioral scientists can enter tech by joining a big tech company as a researcher, rebranding as a data scientist, or joining a tech company that values behavioral science as part of its IP.

The Prisoner's Dilemma shows how individual logic can lead to collective punishment.
Cooperation can prevail in social interactions, even when faced with a dilemma.
Repeated interactions in games can encourage sustained cooperation among self-interested individuals.

The newsletter explores the connection between behavioral science and technology, focusing on how technology uses psychology and behavioral biases.
The author has a diverse background, including training in economics, consulting, working at the UK's Nudge Unit, and being a Product Manager at a tech scale-up.
The newsletter includes insights from a meeting in 2007 between psychologists, notably Daniel Kahneman, and tech leaders, showcasing how tech has integrated behavioral science concepts since the Web 2.0 era.

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When meeting new people, ask 'What do you love to do?' instead of 'What do you do?' to encourage unique interests and deeper conversations.
Leadership requires keeping your ego in check by promoting those who challenge you and accepting privileges that enhance your work.
Elite schools are reinforcing inequality, not meritocracy, by admitting more students from high-income families than low-income families.

Choosing convenience always may mean missing out on the meaningful struggles that give life depth and value.
Taking a break in a quiet space post-learning can boost memory recall significantly, showing that memory consolidation happens during wakeful rest.
In the modern era, one's reputation as a trustworthy source is becoming more crucial than the sheer accumulation of knowledge.

Product squads in tech actively use psychology and behavior science tactics like personalization and defaults to drive metrics.
Top nudges used today include personalization, timely prompts, defaults, and social norms, while scarcity and commitment devices are less common.
Personalization and defaults are perceived as the most effective techniques for driving metrics in tech products, with defaults being notably effective in behavioral science.