In this podcast episode, we discuss the science behind healthcare products, how we can improve engagement and adherence to our health and developing a regulating body to ensure that behavioural science is applied ethically.

The intersection of digital health solutions and behavioral science can have a significant impact on the adherence rate of treatment programs. The Decision Lab reached out to Dr. Erez Yoeli of MIT to learn more about his work on a project involving digital health tools for Tuberculosis (TB) patients and the future direction of similar areas of research in behavioral science.

In early March, the risk of COVID-19 infection was relatively low, yet the public was anxious and took large strides to follow pandemic related safety recommendations. Now, the risk of infection is higher than ever in certain countries, yet the willingness to adhere to safety recommendations has waned. Why?

In this podcast episode, we are joined by Sandi McCoy, associate professor in the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley, and Aarthi Rao, director of the design and innovation lab at CVS Health. Some topics we discuss include how design thinking and traditional project management frameworks can impact global health initiatives, how behavioral science and public health can draw insights from Netflix's disruption of Blockbuster, and the lack of durability of certain nudges in the long-term.

If time is money, we might then be susceptible to the same cognitive biases encountered in the financial world when making decisions about time. Like money, time is a scarce resource that can be consumed, saved, and invested. This article explores how we can use mental accounting to reduce present bias, minimize procrastination, and improve our work-life balance.

Now that the world is at a standstill, we are in the perfect position to drive change. Feelings brought on by physical distancing measures, such as loneliness and isolation, have given us the opportunity to practice empathy. How can we use that empathy to actively improve the lives of those around us?

The coronavirus has brought many changes to the ways in which we communicate: video chats have replaced coffee chats, and stuffy lecture halls have been swapped for group calls, to name a few. In this article, Preeti Kotamarthi uses behavioral science concepts to recommend some ways for organizations to communicate better during (and perhaps after) the pandemic.

Beyond social distancing measures, health officials have recommended frequent hand washing to help limit the spread of COVID-19. But how can we effectively communicate these recommendations to those around us? As it turns out, behavioral science can offer evidence-based strategies to improve hand hygiene.

COVID-19 has impacted how we behave in many different ways. By analyzing ourselves with a behavioral science framework, we can better understand the decisions that we are currently making during the pandemic in addition to the societal norms that may change once it passes.