Change is “a chronic challenge, rather than a temporary one” and must be treated as such, according to Katy Milkman, a behavioural scientist with an engaging capacity to delight in her own discoveries about how habits are formed and altered. An entertaining run through the best and latest science on change and how to achieve it.
June 21, 2021
- Financial Times
Want to change your habits or your life? Then pick up this science-based how-to guide to lasting behavior change from Wharton professor Katy Milkman.
June 18, 2021
- Inc. Magazine
We know what we should do when it comes to leading healthier and happier lives. But too often we default to easier, more pleasurable wants. Behavioral scientist and Wharton professor Katy Milkman is determined to help us change for the better—and for good.
June 18, 2021
- The Pennsylvania Gazette
A 2020 mega-study conducted by several dozen researchers led by Wharton School professor Katy Milkman demonstrated how a simple change to a text message increased uptake of flu shots. Reminder messages that included the words “your vaccine is reserved for you” boosted rates by as much as 11 percent compared to standard messages such as “protect yourself by getting a flu shot.”
June 4, 2021
- Harvard Business Review
Katy Milkman, a professor at the Wharton School and author of the new book How to Change: Getting From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, said it’s important to create specific cues that can remind you of your goals. Making a plan, picking a time to do it and putting it on your calendar are all cues that can help you follow through on an intention and achieve a goal.
May 25, 2021
- The New York Times
Katy Milkman has worked with The White House, Google, the American Red Cross and Walmart, helping their people develop better habits around retirement savings, exercise and more. In her new book, How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, she walks readers through the latest science on behavior change, with practical tips that can help you reduce stress, improve your mental health and live a better life.
May 24, 2021
- CNN
The Wharton professor and co-director of the Behavior Change for Good Initiative discusses her new book aimed at helping individuals and managers inspire meaningful, lasting shifts in behavior.
Spring/Summer 2021
- Wharton Magazine
The Behavior Change For Good Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia was testing nudges that encourage people to get the influenza vaccine. Katherine Milkman, a behavioural researcher at the university’s Wharton School, and her colleagues tested around 20 messaging strategies — everything from jokes to direct appeals.
May 18, 2021
- Nature
Behavioral scientist Katy Milkman ’04 writes about how to make lasting changes in your life in How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (Ebury Publishing). Milkman’s philosophy is grounded in positive reinforcement, and she encourages readers to seek out their goals through enjoyable steps.
May 2021
- Princeton Alumni Weekly
Behavioral economics offers a range of strategies to overcome vaccine hesitancy.
May 18, 2021
- Bloomberg Opinion
Katy Milkman talked about the role of belief in behavior change, what she’s learned about how to change from the game of tennis, and where people tend to go wrong in the quest to change behaviors.
May 17, 2021
- Behavioral Scientist
Adam Grant’s summer reading list includes How to Change as an exciting new book.
May 16, 2021
- LinkedIn
If you want to make sure you continue the activities that have become important to you over the past year—daily walks, regular family meals, a new hobby—you need to plan deliberately. Start by deciding what pastimes you want to hang onto. Then be specific about how you’ll fit them into your life going forward. You can do this with cue-based planning, says Katy Milkman.
May 15, 2021
- The Wall Street Journal
Colleagues over at Well are embarking on a project designed to help you get your mojo back. The project is an opportunity for a “fresh start,” an idea based on research from Katy Milkman, a professor at the Wharton School and author of the new book How to Change: The Science of Getting From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.
May 14, 2021
- Coronavirus Briefing, The New York Times
Katy Milkman is interested not in changing who you are, but “where you want to be.” She wants to help you get more exercise or spend less time arguing on Facebook and more time reading, say, the Financial Times.
May 14, 2021
- Undercover Economist, Financial Times
Katy Milkman, co-founder and co-director of the Behavior Change for Good Initiative, has spent much of her career researching how people can make better decisions. One of the biggest mistakes people make when attempting to change their lives is trying to find one “magic” solution. Instead, people should be taking a more strategic approach based on the barriers they face. “In order to achieve change, it really depends what’s standing in your way,” she says.
May 14, 2021
- CNBC Make It
The new book How to Change by Katy Milkman is well suited to our moment. Its premise is that research provides techniques for making the changes that we want in our lives and our work—from losing weight to combating procrastination.
May 14, 2021
- Reset Work
“The challenge is if it’s not coordinated, then you have this thing where it’s better off individually doing the thing that’s not as good for us as a group,” Katy Milkman, a behavioral scientist at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and author of How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, told Mashable. “And the only way it really works is if the group coordinates and the way groups coordinate is through regulation and recommendations that come from a larger governing body.”
May 13, 2021
- Mashable
Studies show that moments of disruption offer a unique opportunity to set and achieve new goals.
May 11, 2021
- The New York Times
None of the strategies offered by the research in behavioral science will get us there alone. But taken together, they could help reach millions of people in the movable middle who have yet to be vaccinated. “I think we could get most of the way to herd immunity,” said Katy Milkman.
May 11, 2021
- Business Insider
