When someone you care [about] lacks the belief in themselves, you can nudge them into doing the right thing (it’s good for them!). Or teach them how to temptation-bundle, as Katy Milkman showed in a recent study: they can treat themselves, during a beneficial but unpleasant activity (for example, listening to an audiobook while on the treadmill). This makes them more likely to do it.
September 28, 2021
- MarketWatch
Katy is the author of How to Change: The Science of Getting From Where You are to Where You Want to Be (Portfolio, 2021). In it she illustrates how to identify and overcome the barriers that stand in the way of change.
September 14, 2021
- Thinkers50.com
Policymakers, Penn researchers wrote, would be better off looking for “more impactful ways to encourage vaccination.”
August 28, 2021
- The Philadelphia Inquirer
Certain dates such as birthdays and the first day of a new season seem to create “a dissociation in how we think of ourselves in time,” says Katy Milkman, a behavioral scientist at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and author of the new book How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.
August 27, 2021
- The Wall Street Journal
Many of us are suffering from ‘pandemic flux syndrome.’
August 11, 2021
- The Washington Post
Companies, cities and elected officials are all pushing vaccines. Plus, new Wharton research supports using behavioral economics to nudge vaccine adoption.
August 4, 2021
- The Philadelphia Inquirer
If you want to start exercising, less can be more.
July 27, 2021
- Changepower, Psychology Today
Katy Milkman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and author of the book, How to Change, says people tend to escalate their commitment to everything from jobs to relationships, even when they’re not working out. As a result, she says, “You don’t optimize. You don’t achieve as much.”
July 26, 2021
- The Wall Street Journal
Researchers with the University of Pennsylvania found that people who received text messages about the annual flu vaccine were more likely to get the shot.
June 29, 2021
- CNN
When big changes upend life as we know it, adapting to that new world can feel weird, in part because it goes against our nature, said Katy Milkman, who directs the Behavior Change for Good Initiative within the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. “It’s our tendency to stick with the path of least resistance,” said Milkman, whose new book, How to Change, explores how people adapt and why some newfound behaviors stick and others don’t.
June 29, 2021
- PBS NewsHour
While the United States inches closer to herd immunity against Covid-19, virus variants and a total death toll surpassing 600,000 are heightening hesitancy about returning to the office. Katy Milkman said companies should pick a clear strategy surrounding vaccines to alleviate concerns.
June 26, 2021
- CNBC
Change is “a chronic challenge, rather than a temporary one” and must be treated as such, according to Katy Milkman, a behavioural scientist with an engaging capacity to delight in her own discoveries about how habits are formed and altered. An entertaining run through the best and latest science on change and how to achieve it.
June 21, 2021
- Financial Times
Want to change your habits or your life? Then pick up this science-based how-to guide to lasting behavior change from Wharton professor Katy Milkman.
June 18, 2021
- Inc. Magazine
We know what we should do when it comes to leading healthier and happier lives. But too often we default to easier, more pleasurable wants. Behavioral scientist and Wharton professor Katy Milkman is determined to help us change for the better—and for good.
June 18, 2021
- The Pennsylvania Gazette
A 2020 mega-study conducted by several dozen researchers led by Wharton School professor Katy Milkman demonstrated how a simple change to a text message increased uptake of flu shots. Reminder messages that included the words “your vaccine is reserved for you” boosted rates by as much as 11 percent compared to standard messages such as “protect yourself by getting a flu shot.”
June 4, 2021
- Harvard Business Review
Katy Milkman, a professor at the Wharton School and author of the new book How to Change: Getting From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, said it’s important to create specific cues that can remind you of your goals. Making a plan, picking a time to do it and putting it on your calendar are all cues that can help you follow through on an intention and achieve a goal.
May 25, 2021
- The New York Times
Katy Milkman has worked with The White House, Google, the American Red Cross and Walmart, helping their people develop better habits around retirement savings, exercise and more. In her new book, How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, she walks readers through the latest science on behavior change, with practical tips that can help you reduce stress, improve your mental health and live a better life.
May 24, 2021
- CNN
The Wharton professor and co-director of the Behavior Change for Good Initiative discusses her new book aimed at helping individuals and managers inspire meaningful, lasting shifts in behavior.
Spring/Summer 2021
- Wharton Magazine
The Behavior Change For Good Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia was testing nudges that encourage people to get the influenza vaccine. Katherine Milkman, a behavioural researcher at the university’s Wharton School, and her colleagues tested around 20 messaging strategies — everything from jokes to direct appeals.
May 18, 2021
- Nature
Behavioral scientist Katy Milkman ’04 writes about how to make lasting changes in your life in How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (Ebury Publishing). Milkman’s philosophy is grounded in positive reinforcement, and she encourages readers to seek out their goals through enjoyable steps.
May 2021
- Princeton Alumni Weekly
