Behavioral Scientist
What is a Behavioral Scientist?
A behavioral scientist is an expert who studies decision-making by applying insights from a range of fields including psychology, economics, neuroscience, and social sciences. Using evidence-based methods, behavioral scientists analyze why people behave as they do and design interventions to address real-world challenges in areas like health, public policy, and business. Behavioral scientists uniquely combine theoretical knowledge with practical applications to create measurable improvements in individual and collective behavior.
The Basic Idea
If you’re an avid reader of TDL, perhaps you’re more aware than the average person about how your environment shapes your decisions. Maybe you’ve been primed to recognize the choice architecture of your surroundings and noticed when certain “nudges”—like the option to “round up” to donate to charity while checking out, or text message reminders about your upcoming doctor appointment—are at play. But have you ever stopped and wondered who is behind all of this?
Behavioral scientists use empirical research methods to understand and influence decision-making at both individual and group levels. In a general sense, their work can be broken down into two types of responsibilities.
Their investigation begins with thorough research and data collection, blending quantitative and qualitative methods to capture a full spectrum of human behavior. This process involves crafting experiments and surveys, conducting interviews and focus groups, observing real-world settings, and analyzing vast amounts of data—all with the goal of uncovering insights that drive impactful change.
The next stage of work for a behavioral scientist is applying behavioral frameworks to make sense of the data and generate solutions or interventions for real-world problems. Behavioral scientists might be hired by companies to solve smaller-scale business problems, such as improving customer retention or other consumer behavior, or they might work with governments and policy leaders to tackle large-scale, more complex issues like increasing adherence to public health recommendations or designing more effective social programs.1,2
A successful behavioral scientist can combine the work of a variety of social science perspectives and generate interventions that are practical, plausible, and effective. By examining the factors that influence decision-making, they aim to influence outcomes in a variety of areas, including public policy, business, healthcare, education, and beyond.
It's one thing to make financial aid available to students so they can attend college. It's another thing to design forms that students can actually fill out.
— Cass Sunstein, Behavioral Economist and author of Nudge.
About the Author
Annika Steele
Annika completed her Masters at the London School of Economics in an interdisciplinary program combining behavioral science, behavioral economics, social psychology, and sustainability. Professionally, she’s applied data-driven insights in project management, consulting, data analytics, and policy proposal. Passionate about the power of psychology to influence an array of social systems, her research has looked at reproductive health, animal welfare, and perfectionism in female distance runners.
