The Weekly Circle #18
Welcome to the eighteenth episode of The Weekly Circle! A free Circles in Time newsletter released every Sunday.
Hey everybody,
I kicked off the final Circles in Time programme for 2020 this week with an excited, smart and curious cohort of self-applied behavioural science and systems enthusiasts from all around the world.
There were two workshops on Saturday allowing individuals to participate, no matter their particular time zone. This meant that the new cohort is another geographically, diverse group. Something I’m proud of and that the programme is slowly starting to get recognised for.
A key discussion point in both the workshops was around identifying the starting step for a new practice (or behaviour-based goal)— What is the first move of the choreographed dance, that is your morning run, deep work session or evening reflection exercise?
I have some strong views on the topic, but in order to gain further perspective, I posed the question to a set of behavioural researchers and practitioners on Twitter. You can learn from them and share your views here.
If you’d like to join the waiting list for the next programme, you can do so below. You’ll be notified and be able to book your spot before the programme is opened up publically. (Tentative dates: 21 - 30 January 2021)
THE BEHAVIORAL DESIGN PODCAST
My conversation with Samuel Salzer on the Behaviour Design Podcast was released this week. We do a deep dive into all things ‘self-applied behavioural science’, Circles in Time, goal setting, personal systems, self-experimentation and many other fun and fascinating topics.
I enjoyed Sams agility in moving between technical behavioural science questions and then regularly surfacing to aks me about things like the quality of DiCaprio’s South African accent in Blood Diamond or the Swedish electronic music scene.
You can listen below:
ONE LAST UPDATE :)
I’m very excited to be hosting a conversation with Samuli Reijula, for the Sample of One podcast this week!
Samuli is a researcher at Helsinki University, working in the theoretical philosophy unit, where he covers a wide range of fascinating focus areas.
He also wrote an excellent paper with Ralph Hertwig titled Self-nudging and the citizen choice architect, which I recommend to all my course participants and those interested in the self-applied branch of behavioural science. I summarised the key ideas in a Twitter thread earlier this year.
All Circles in Time community members are welcome to join the conversation, live, this Thursday, where you’ll be able to listen and ask Samuli questions. More details on the community platform.
If you aren’t a community member yet, you can sign up here and join the conversation.
WORLD VIEWS
Here are the ideas I’ve been circling around this week.
THE WORLD AROUND US
Mega-Studies: A New Way to Do Behavioural Science Research at Scale
Katy Milkman recently shared the latest results from her BCFG initiative’s first mega-study, which focused on getting people to the gym to exercise more frequently.
Here is a list of all the interventions that were tested as part of the mega-study.
Zoom-in for a clearer view.
The top-performing interventions (as measured by the number of gym visits):
Offering a Bonus on Return: Participants earned an extra $0.09 if they came back to the gym the day after missing a workout. (increased gym visits by 27%)
Paying More for Scheduled Workouts: Participants earned $1.75 - $1.79 for scheduled workouts. ((increased gym visits by 22%)
Reinforcing a Rising Social Norm: Participants learned Americans are exercising more than before. (increased gym visits by 24%)
Choice of Gain or Loss Framed Pay: Participants chose between earning points each day they visited the gym or losing points each day they failed to visit the gym. (increased gym visits by 19%)
Interestingly, the researchers asked citizens, health workers and scientists to predict what would work. They found no correlation between the predictions and the actual results! Another reason why field experimentation is such a helpful tool for making decisions. Our intuitions are often way off.
You can watch Katy’s full talk right here:
THE WORLD WITHIN US
Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain
One of my favourite humans on the planet just launched her new book!
Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain is a fascinating, timely tour of how the brain actually works, by the brilliant and bold Lisa Feldman Barrett.
The Seven and a Half Lessons are:
Lesson 1/2: Your brain is not for thinking.
Lesson 1: You have one brain, not three.
Lesson 2: Your brain is a network.
Lesson 3: Little brains wire themselves to the world.
Lesson 4: Your brain predicts (almost) everything you do.
Lesson 5: Your brain secretly works with other brains.
Lesson 6: Brains make more than one kind of mind.
Lesson 7: Our brains can create reality.
I’m about 20% of the way through the audiobook and loving it. Her use of airports as a detailed metaphor to describe the way information flows between neuro-chemically lubricated networks of neurons is probably the most intuitive way of explaining the brain that I have heard.
One of my favourite quotes so far:
“When it comes to the brain, simple distinctions like nature versus nurture are alluring but not realistic. We have the kind of nature that requires nurture.” ~ Lisa Feldman Barrett
Grab the book here.
WISE WORDS
The quotes I’ve been circling around this week
“You have comfort. You don’t have luxury. And don’t tell me that money plays a part. The luxury I advocate has nothing to do with money. It cannot be bought. It is the reward of those who have no fear of discomfort.” ~ Jean Cocteau
“Adventures are all very well in their place, but there's a lot to be said for regular meals and freedom from pain.” ~ Neil Gaiman
“Do not give way to useless alarm; though it is right to be prepared for the worst, there is no occasion to look on it as certain.” ~ Jane Austen
SOMETHING TO PART WITH
I recently learnt about a genre of futurism called Solarpunk, which explores the intersection of renewable energy, community and technology. In a difficult and uncertain world, we need more positive visions of the future, like this.
Until next week,
Take care,
David
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