Have you ever wondered how all the heuristics and biases fit together with using the COM-B model?

I've created a Miro board to start mapping them out - originally I created a shorter list when a client asked me this question some years ago, and I thought it would be good to make this "v1 thinking" public and get other people's thoughts on it too to lean on the wisdom of crowds. Check it out and leave your feedback!

I'm writing a book - in PUBLIC!
 

After thinking about it for a long time, I've decided to write a book that will help behaviour change practitioners expand their toolbox on how to think about the behavioural challenges from different perspectives. We often don't spend enough time thinking about the problem but instead impatiently jump straight to the solutions - now that we are being asked to solve more complex problems with behavioural science, it's time to start thinking about the problems more carefully too. I want to write a book that is useful for as many people as possible, and one that makes a difference for behaviour change practitioners around the world so I'm writing this book in public - all feedback is welcome! SEE IT HERE

Behaviour Change Wheel reference tool - now free to view!
 

I have created a Miro board that brings together different elements of the Behaviour Change Wheel by connecting barriers from the Behavioural Diagnosis stage to Intervention Strategies and Implementation Strategies, as well as Behaviour Change Techniques. The goal is to create an accessible, free to use reference tool for behaviour change practitioners who are already familiar with the BCW. The board is now free to view - it's still work in progress, but other projects have come first and I want to make it available as promised!

BOOK RECOMMENDATION

Between Us: how cultures create emotions
 

This book is a must-read for anyone who is interested in human behaviour. I have lived most of my adult life outside of my home country so navigating the kinds of challenges Batja Mesquita talks about really resonate with me. Her main thesis is that we have MINE and OURS emotions:

MINE stands for emotions INside the person, and Essentialist, meaning that emotions have the same properties in any context. These cultural contexts place an emphasis on the individual and her inner feelings - authenticity and full expression of feelings is celebrated.

OURS describes emotions that originate OUTside the person, Relational and Situated, meaning that emotions take different shapes in different situations. These cultural contexts allow negotiated emotions — emotions that fit social environment and cultural context they exist in. In contrast to MINE cultures, being authentic in such cultures equals to being an immature person.

Different cultural contexts will favour and employ different models - and of course there is a lot of nuance in the book beyond this dichotomy.

I wanted to do a full review of this book but before I had time to write it, several great ones were already published so I will link some of them instead:

BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST: Americans Are Fake and the Dutch Are Rude!

UNDARK: A Psychologist Plumbs the Cultural Roots of Emotion

SCIENCE: The cultural landscape of emotions

Hidden Brain podcast interview with Batja Mesquita

What a rental car taught me about behavioural design
 

I recently rented a car and it gave me two great examples to questions I've faced many times in my career: what habits really are, and why a behavioural scientist is valuable in almost every company and team. READ MORE