‘We asked participants to choose a nudge they were not yet using and that they felt they would be able to incorporate into their daily lives. For example, placing fruit at eye-level in the fridge.’ Photo Shutterstock Thus discovered Merije van Rookhuijzen, who obtained her PhD in Social Sciences earlier this year. The latest publication of her dissertation was recently released.
‘Traditional nudging often takes place in the supermarket or elsewhere outside of our homes. Consumers are generally unaware of the fact they are being steered in a particular direction. We wanted to investigate whether nudging also works when people are aware they are being nudged and whether it would also work in a domestic situation. After all, we make some eighty per cent of our food choices at home. Researchers and policymakers may call on supermarkets to rearrange their shelves to push consumers towards healthier choices; they cannot rearrange everyone’s fridge.’
Eye-level in the fridge
In her study, Van Rookhuijzen asked participants to select one nudge they were not already using that they felt could be included in their daily lives. The nudges related to visibility, remembering or accessibility. ‘For example, placing fruit at eye-level in the fridge, setting an alarm reminding you to eat some fruit or preparing fruit ahead of time. The selected nudges led to a higher fruit intake compared to the control group who did not use any nudges.’
The participants also diligently followed up on their commitment to use a self-nudge. The effect persisted even after they stopped. Van Rookhuijzen: ‘The fruit intake among the nudge group did not decline.’
Personalised nudge
The results lead to the question of whether policymakers could use self-nudging to motivate people to make healthier choices. ‘We thought nudging only works if people are unaware they are being exposed to nudging. New research, including this study, proves that it is still effective, even if subjects know they are being pushed in a particular direction.’
‘There is a trend towards personalised nudging. The nudges are matched to the individual’s needs and times. Perhaps, in the future, nudging could be linked to location information, stimulating you to skip the chocolate section in the supermarket. On the other hand, your housemate can also buy you chocolate. For effective interventions, we must pay attention to various aspects when buying and eating food. Both for ourselves and for the people around us.’
