How Social Norms Complicate Behavioral Research

Walt Whitman was not alone in contradicting himself. We all contain multitudes; different rules of behavior that depend on the situation or context we find ourselves in. Our minds are generous at glossing over these contradictions; there is comfort in seeing ourselves as consistent, steadfast individuals. But we are heavily influenced by the numerous social groups we belong to, and the social norms associated with them. These dynamics are challenging to map and predict, which threatens consultants with unpredictable results. Behavioral scientists that hope to make change by altering social norms must do so with reservations and several strategies in mind. 

Social norms, social chameleons

The human prefrontal cortex bestows on us the ability to respond and adapt to complex social networks unlike any other animal on earth. We are social chameleons, shrewdly altering behavior to the norms of the group with which we currently identify.¹ I, for one, have discovered  that my wife’s work personality is remarkably different from the one I was previously accustomed to, now that we are both working from home. The influence of social norms can be subtle and mutable, yet it is striking to observe someone’s behavior when you are unfamiliar with the social milieu they are interacting with. 

Behavioral economics, which often utilizes low-effort “nudges” to influence behavior, can easily be knocked off course by anomalies in actual versus predicted social behavior. A recent study found that the type of behavioral intervention that failed most often was those involving social norming or social comparisons (40% of 65 cases).²  A principle explanation postulated for this failure was the disparate responses of subgroups of the target population to a social norming message. By not considering the context and framing of different scenarios, we can miss out on forecasting the divergent response of various individuals to the same basic situations.