¿What is Behavioral Science?

Behavioral science refers to an interdisciplinary field that studies the decision-making process and behaviors of humans (Wilkinson, N., and Klaes, M., 2012).

Exploring the decision making process and behaviors.

💡Behavioral science seeks to rigorously understand the factors that determine human behavior.

💡 In particular, it studies the different situations in which people use heuristics, or simple decision rules, to make decisions.

The 'fathers' of Behavioral Science

Daniel Kahneman (Nobel Prize in Economics 2002) and Richard Thaler (Nobel Prize in Economics 2017) are considered as the starting point of diffusion of the discipline. This is due to two important publications:

1. D. Kahneman and A. Tversky (1979) published the article "Prospect theory: an analysis of decision under risk" introduced several new and fundamental concepts related to benchmarks, loss aversion, utility measurement and subjective probability judgments. R. Thaler (1980) published the article "Towards a positive theory of consumer choice", introducing the concept of "mental accounting".

Currently, the discipline is an integral part of the decision making process of various private and public institutions worldwide (Action Design, 2022).

If you are interested in learning more about the discipline, you have to read its books: 'Thinking, fast and slow' by D. Kahneman, and 'Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness', by R. Thaler and C. Sunstein.

Silvia Cottone

Behavioral Science Consultant

& Worldwide Keynote Speaker​

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Action Design (2022). Behavioral Teams Directory. Link: http://www.action-design.org/behavioral-teams-directory

Wilkinson, N., & Klaes, M. (2012). An Introduction to Behavioral Economics (2nd ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.​