Why Don’t We Stick with Behaviour Change? Lecture by Wendy Wood, Professor of Psychology and Business, University of Southern California.
People are pretty good at changing their behavior in the short term. After deciding to eat more healthfully, most of us can forgo dessert tonight. The challenge comes over time, as few of us stick with that decision. Wendy will argue that habits are a central reason for this failure. Although people naturally persist by forming habits, it’s not easy to understand how habits work. In fact, we may know least about the actions that we do most often. Wendy will explain the basic features of habit formation and change and then present research on how people understand their own habits.
This lecture will be followed by a networking drinks reception.
Behaviour Change by Design is a Wellcome Trust Collaborative Award in Science (206853/Z/17/Z) awarded to Professor Dame Theresa Marteau, Professor Paul Fletcher and Dr Gareth Hollands from the University of Cambridge, and Professor Marcus Munafò from the University of Bristol.