Matthew Darling - A Behavioral Approach to Economic Relief Programs

04/09/20 • 38 min

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Matthew Darling is a Vice President at ideas42, a nonprofit organization that uses behavioral science to improve lives, build better systems and policies, and drive social change. They have applied behavioral insights in more than 100 projects across 35 countries and 6 continents, helping people act on choices that affect their lives and communities. Matt also contributes as a columnist for The Behavioral Scientist. He joins Erik and Zarak to discuss the economic and behavioral challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. They explore issues such as the United States' outdated unemployment verification process; leveraging identities (such as being a responsible citizen doing their part); and how BeSci can help eligible taxpayers spend their CARES Act* stimulus funds in ways that are most helpful to them. * Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act

Previous Episode

Dan Egan - Behavioral Finance During COVID-19

Dan Egan, Director of Behavioral Finance and Investing at Betterment, joins our hosts Erik and Zarak to discuss financial and investment behavior during times of crisis. What does today’s coronavirus pandemic have in common with previous crises that negatively impacted the economy and financial markets? What is unique to this particular situation? How have most investors responded so far? What roles do fear, control, and adaptability play? How can we better leverage basic behavioral science concepts such as nudging and mental accounting? What is the relationship between physical health, mental stress, and financial decision-making? What are some things we can be doing from home to help ourselves and others during this time?

These questions and more are answered in this latest episode. Take a deep breath, try to relax (maybe turn off the news and social media notifications for a few minutes), and enjoy!

Next Episode

Michelle Niedziela - Where Neuroscience Meets Behavior

Michelle Niedziela is the Scientific Director and VP of Innovation at HCD Research, a marketing and consumer sciences company that applies neuroscience tools along with traditional market research methods to help their clients create better products, packaging, and communications for consumers. She also worked as a senior scientist at Johnson & Johnson, and still regularly contributes as a columnist on consumer perspectives to various publications.

What are some things behavioral scientists should know more about neuroscience? When should they work together to enhance what they both do? Zarak, Erik, and Michelle tackle questions like these in today’s episode. As Michelle explains, there are a lot of misconceptions about neuroscience. When you conduct “fancy” neuroscience research, it doesn’t mean giving up good, old-fashioned surveys or qual and quant research methods. They must all be combined to better understand how the consumer experiences a product. “Measuring brain activity doesn’t really tell you anything unless you put it in context, and I feel like the behavioral science gives you that context,” she says.

Other topics include cognitive flow, using neuroscience to increase the effectiveness of OTC (over-the-counter) drugs, and Zarak’s beard care product of choice. Spoiler Alert: it’s called Cowboy Magic.