Using social norms to drive positive changes in health

Strategies to change behavior in health

Perceived social norms — our beliefs about what other people are doing — are a powerful engine of behavior change. They often create pressure to act similarly, like a kind of peer pressure that shapes adult behavior as well as it does adolescent behavior. If you believe that your neighbors regularly recycle, for example, you are more likely to do so yourself. And if you believe your peers are paying their taxes on time, you will feel motivated to do that.

Using social norms to drive positive changes in health