Over the next few weeks, I am teaching two separate cohort classes. So I am going to take the time to answer questions from the Monday Open Thread since I am tight for time on writing original pieces. Luckily, the questions have been amazing!Thinking in Bets is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Great response. I have a question. To prevent harmful behaviors that can negatively impact one's future selves, should we focus on motivating individuals or making the behavior more difficult to access? For example, during last Thanksgiving, my kids collected a large amount of candy that could have lasted them for a year. My wife and I had the option to either educate our kids about the negative effects of excessive sugar consumption or simply make the candy less accessible. We chose to keep the candy out of sight, and four months later, the kids have not even thought to check if we still have any left. So the question is, should we focus on motivation or on reducing the ability to engage in harmful behavior? I am assuming precommitment devices in a way focus on increasing or inhibiting ability for a particular behavior.
Great response. I have a question. To prevent harmful behaviors that can negatively impact one's future selves, should we focus on motivating individuals or making the behavior more difficult to access? For example, during last Thanksgiving, my kids collected a large amount of candy that could have lasted them for a year. My wife and I had the option to either educate our kids about the negative effects of excessive sugar consumption or simply make the candy less accessible. We chose to keep the candy out of sight, and four months later, the kids have not even thought to check if we still have any left. So the question is, should we focus on motivation or on reducing the ability to engage in harmful behavior? I am assuming precommitment devices in a way focus on increasing or inhibiting ability for a particular behavior.