If a baseball and a bat cost $1.10 together, and the bat costs $1.00 more than the ball, how much does the ball cost?
Solution
5 cents. System 1 thinking often leads to mistakes in this type of problem.
A father and son are in a horrible car crash that kills the dad. The son is rushed to the hospital; just as he’s about to go under the knife, the surgeon says, “I can’t operate—that boy is my son!” How is that possible?
Solution
The surgeon is the boy’s mother. This puzzle illustrates the persistence of gender discrimination.
In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake?
Solution
47 days. To answer correctly, you need to ignore your system 1 and use your system 2.
Alan is smart, hard-working, impulsive, stubborn and jealous.
Ben is jealous, stubborn, impulsive, hard-working and smart.
Who should you hire?
Solution
They are the same, but a priming effect often make people prefer the first candidate.
23-12-2021
At BVA Nudge Consulting, we believe that Behavioral Science can play a significant role in promoting positive social behaviors and “nudging” communities in safer, healthier and more sustainable directions.
Moving from Awareness to Action on Sustainability. Image credit: Tiphaine Breton
In the sixth chapter of our book, we explore how we’ve put this belief to work. Inside, you’ll find articles from Ted Utoft, Eric Singler and Scott Young on how organisations and individuals can move from “intent to action” on sustainability – and on the wisdom of focusing on “Agnostics.” You’ll also find an insightful case study, regarding a project with Reckitt and our sister agency BVA Doxa to promote hygienic behaviors in Italian primary schools.
To find out more about applying behavioral science to sustainability and advocacy, download the book Applying & Infusing Behavioral Science: Insights, Frameworks & Case Studies from the BVA Nudge Consulting.