March 23, 2021
I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling pretty optimistic that we’ve reached the beginning of the end of this horrific pandemic. I know we have a long way to go, but we’ve come a long way too. And it doesn’t hurt my optimism that spring is in the air in Philadelphia. The dogwood tree out back is blooming, the birds are chirping, and everyone in my family who is over 65 has been fully vaccinated. I almost feel like I can see the finish line … While nearing the finish line might just bring hope in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic, it can have a much greater behavioral effect when we’re closing in on a personal goal. And that effect is the focus of today’s newsletter.

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February 23, 2021
One of my favorite teachers in grade school often asked: are you part of the problem or part of the solution? He didn’t ask it when my classmates and I turned our homework in late or acted out in class, but when we talked about big social problems. Inequality. Racism. World hunger. Climate change. War. Homelessness. I’ve frequently thought about this question during the COVID-19 pandemic. This Black History Month, I suspect we’re all reflecting particularly deeply on ways we can be part of the solution. In the hopes that it may help, I’m sharing research on stereotyping, which lies at the heart of many social problems.

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January 26, 2021
First, thank you so much for your wonderful replies to my big announcement that I’ll be publishing my first book in May. It was truly such a joy to find my inbox overflowing with your kind words and I appreciated all your social media posts encouraging others to pre-order How to Change. Today, I’m back with a regular newsletter sharing an interview about the most valuable nudge around — one that’s boosted millions of Americans’ retirement savings at virtually no cost.

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January 12, 2021
A few years ago, I was going about my morning ritual of brewing tea, making toast, and listening to my favorite podcast when an unfamiliar advertisement caught me off guard. “Turns out good habits come easy,” a pleasing feminine voice cooed. I stopped stirring my tea. Really? For a few seconds, I held my breath. If someone was about to reveal the secret I’d been pursuing for my entire academic career in a single, pre-packaged sound bite, I didn’t want to miss it.

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December 15, 2020
As crooner Andy Williams reminds us during these winter months, “it’s the happiest season of all.” But I beg to differ with his contention that “parties for hosting,” “marshmallows for toasting,” and “caroling out in the snow” are responsible for that distinction. (And it’s a good thing too, since there won’t be parties or much caroling this year.)

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November 24, 2020
November is the month for giving thanks, but today I’m going to focus on another kind of giving: the kind of giving you do when someone asks for your advice. At first blush, offering words of wisdom probably seems like a selfless act. But research I’ll highlight in today’s featured Q&A shows that offering advice doesn’t just help the person you advise. It can often help you — the advice giver — achieve more, too.

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October 20, 2020
If you’re like me, you’ve probably had at least one conversation in the last month about why the madness of 2020 just won’t let up. Ok, you say, maybe facing a global pandemic like COVID-19 was inevitable (this isn’t our first rodeo), but did it have to come with massive uncontrolled wildfires in the West and the death of a Supreme Court justice weeks before a presidential election? Not to mention reports of murder hornets spotted in Washington State. It’s hard to shrug that all off as a coincidence.

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September 15, 2020
Many of the usual rhythms I associate with the beginning of fall have been thrown out the window this September. Instead of meeting my new Wharton students face-to-face, I’m meeting them online. Instead of sending my son off to Pre-K, I’m helping him Zoom into a virtual classroom. But even in these strange and difficult times, September is bringing change. Daily routines are shifting. And that means an opportunity to craft new and better habits.

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August 18, 2020
I love sharing insights with my Wharton students and Choiceology podcast listeners about the science of making good decisions. But my overflowing inbox suggests I’m not keeping up with everyone’s thirst for new knowledge. The goal of this newsletter is to fix that!

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