Behavioral Economics and Choice Architecture with Food

Yumlish: Diabetes and Multicultural Nutrition

Dr. Anne Thorndike explains to us what is behavioral economics and choice architecture, how we're surrounded by it, and how we should make our day-to-day decisions at the workplace as well as at the grocery store. We learn what we can do differently in utilizing choice architecture to be applied on a more micro level in our homes.

Dr. Thorndike is an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the director of the metabolic syndrome clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her research focuses on individual and population behavioral interventions to prevent cardiometabolic disease. Through implementation research, her team has demonstrated the effectiveness of traffic light labels, choice architecture, social norms, and financial incentives to promote healthy food choices in real-life settings, such as worksite, cafeterias, and supermarkets.

"Behavioral economics... doesn't make that assumption that we always make rational choices, it assumes that sometimes we don't make rational choices and that the interventions based on behavioral economics are to nudge us towards those choices that would be good for us that we probably want to make anyway. But we don't always make it at the moment. And so choice architecture is one intervention that has been brought to the forefront by behavioral economics... The choice architecture is really about product placement, putting something in a place that's easy to see or easy to reach."

In this episode you will learn about:

What is behavioral and choice architecture

How can these concepts improve healthier food choices

Dr. Thorndike's variables in her research, and how people react to traffic light labels on food

How much time goes into working with stores to use these concepts

How we can use choice architecture in our own homes

Keynotes:

[0:40] Shireen introduces Dr. Thorndike

[2:02] Dr. Thorndike explains how she got into her field of study

[4:22] What are behavioral economics and choice architecture?

[6:17] How Dr. Thorndike conducted her research using different colored labels on food

[8:33] How people react to traffic light labels and where they are located in the supermarket

[11:06] Why isn't this system standard in grocery stores?

[15:33] Who makes and enforces choice architecture policies?

[16:38] Dr. Thorndike's ideas on how we can use choice architecture on a micro level

[18:58] Stay away from places that may trigger temptations

Find Dr. Thorndike's work!

Obesity Prevention in the Supermarket-Choice Architecture and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28902555/

A 2-phase labeling and choice architecture intervention to improve healthy food and beverage choices https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22390518/

Choice architecture to promote fruit and vegetable purchases by families participating in the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): randomized corner store pilot study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27890020/

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