Plain-language explanation.
Behavioural science applies psychological insights about how people actually make decisions — often irrationally — to design better policies, products, and environments. It combines economics, psychology, and cognitive science to understand and influence human behaviour.
Core concepts and standard treatment.
Core concepts include cognitive biases (anchoring, availability heuristic, loss aversion), dual process theory (System 1 vs System 2 — Kahneman), nudge theory (Thaler & Sunstein), social norms, defaults and choice architecture, and commitment devices. Applications span public health, financial regulation, energy saving, and UX design.
Deeper theory, debates and edge cases.
Advanced behavioural science covers randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in policy evaluation, Behavioural Insights Team methodology (EAST framework — Easy, Attractive, Social, Timely), behavioural public administration, ethics of nudging (autonomy vs paternalism debate), and metascience concerns around replication (the replication crisis in psychology).
How it is applied in practice.
At the behavioural insights director level, professionals design government behaviour change programmes (MINDSPACE, COM-B model), evaluate interventions using pre-registered RCTs, advise on regulatory sandboxes, apply behavioural principles to financial product disclosure (FCA behavioural economics unit), and publish in journals such as Nature Human Behaviour and Behavioural Public Policy.