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.

Can social media increase voter turnout? Researchers sought to answer this question by seeing if the social approval effect — which describes how the desire for social approval can influence decision-making — can impact voting behavior in the real world. As it turns out, merely seeing others' behavior can have a strong influence on our decision-making.

Exactly how can we harness social norms for societal and organizational good? Research suggests three main ways to effectively utilize social norms.

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.

Anchoring is one of the most prevalent and enduring heuristics that we encounter in our daily lives. But do anchors affect how juries make decisions? Or judges for that matter?

Horoscopes owe more of their tremendous popularity to psychology than astrology. As it turns out, the science behind why horoscopes are so popular can also offer interesting insights for the business world.

Loss aversion is visible across different demographics and even species, having been documented in professional financial traders, taxi drivers, young and old people, and even capuchin monkeys. But are judges affected by loss aversion, too?

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.

Behavioral science is simply incompatible with a policy that requires us to do something — it lacks the necessary enforcement mechanisms.