GUS (Gave Up Smoking) is a community support diary for Kossacks in the midst of quitting smoking. Any supportive comments, suggestions or positive distractions are appreciated. If you are quitting or even just thinking of quitting, please join us! We kindly ask that politics be left outside. You can also click the GUS tag to view all diary posts, or access the GUS Library (the archived version for now).
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There's a school of thought that a combination of subtle, indirect suggestions and positive reinforcement can actually influence the way people think and respond. It's often part of a larger, more formal strategy for influencing behavior; just one tool to enact or impact political or behavioral change. You see it a lot in public health campaigns. On it's own, it's called "Nudge theory," and you may have stumbled across it, or even used it, without realizing you're doing so.
Here's an example of Nudge Theory: putting healthy, already prepared foods at eye level on a shelf or in the refrigerator to encourage shoppers (or dieters) to make better purchasing or eating choices. All things being equal, if the good-for-you option is attractive, easy to find, and convenient, you're more likely to choose that over the worse-for-you option. When the usual barriers to making the healthier decision (the good-for-you option is too inconvenient, expensive, hard to find, not as appealing) are lowered or eliminated, and they're left without the usual justification for choosing the less-healthy option, people find it easier to make a healthier choice, and do.
Now, this is perhaps an oversimplified concept when you're talking about creating lasting behavioral change. It's not as simple as "nudge and they shall follow." People (and their reactions to things) are complex, after all, and we don't operate in a vacuum. There are all kinds of things influencing our responses and behaviors. But it may be a useful tool we can use to set ourselves up for success.
I know I'm personally susceptible to the well-placed nudge. Sometimes I'm halfway through rationalizing or justifying NOT doing something, and somebody will make a suggestion or create a situation where it's easier to just suck it up and do whatever it is I'm resisting (often for the better). Just needed that little nudge.
Heck, I even ended up quitting smoking because of someone's casual ("Hey, we should just quit smoking...you wanna?") nudge---had no idea that was even in the cards that day, but I heard it and ran with it and ten years later, here I am, thanks to a nudge.
I even nudged myself without realizing it, once I'd quit. I created lists and figured out distractions for myself ahead of time, so when the impulse to give in or slip up arrived (and it always does), I didn't even have to think about it---which is critical!---because I already had a distraction or task conveniently lined up. I set myself up so it would be as easy as possible to succeed, instead of setting myself up for even more struggle.
Are you still struggling? Consider this your nudge!
Hey, good news! Kids aren't smoking as much!
Who's Your Little Buddy?
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