topic: [[Doing]] created: 2024-01-06 *Giving people the tools to accomplish something boosts the likelihood they will do it.* This reminds me of [[learning leader]]s need to be able to empower the learners, in this case a widespread group empowerment to make better decisions in a wider variety of areas. ##### what is it? "Boosting refers to a set of strategies including training, education, and transparent communication. Instead of trying to change the choice environment and steer people towards better choices, its key concern is with changing people’s competences and enabling them to make better choices themselves." "Boosts, on the other hand, may be more appropriate when trying to change more conscious decision processes (also referred to as System 2). Often, they hold the potential for achieving more sustainable behaviour change that translate across different contexts." (_Nudge or Boost_, 2023.) ##### why does it matter? Boosting has been shown in some situations to provide more long-term and wide-spread positive outcome changes. For example, improved financial literacy and budgeting skills would help in a variety of situations and would achieve a broad set of outcomes, Nudges around saving for retirement do actually a much better job at changing the behavior of saving for retirement, but don't improve other elements of financial stability and health. ##### What would the opposite argument be? The best way to get people to do something is to remove the barriers from them doing what is naturally the right thing, so focus not on empowering, but [[remove to gain]]. Then, if they are going to do it, they will learn how themselves. Additionally, humans are not good at weighing long and short-term goals. People who are stressed or under-resourced additionally are focused on moment-to-moment goals and unable to process longer-term goals. So focusing just on empowerment, learning, and knowledge is noble, needs to be done, but will end up competing with other priorities and time. So, Nudges often end up winning to solve narrow problems. tags: #note/idea | #on/behavior | #on/habit | #on/performance ##### Sources: _Nudge or Boost: What’s Best For Changing Behavior? | Psychology Today United Kingdom_. (January 13, 2023). Retrieved January 9, 2024, from [https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/stretching-theory/202301/nudge-or-boost-whats-best-for-changing-behavior](https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/stretching-theory/202301/nudge-or-boost-whats-best-for-changing-behavior) Hertwig, R., & Grüne-Yanoff, T. (2017). Nudging and Boosting: Steering or Empowering Good Decisions. _Perspectives on Psychological Science_, _12_(6), 973–986. [https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617702496](https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617702496)