Steer: Mastering our Behaviour through Instinct, Environment and Reason

People could make better decisions and tackle unwanted habits like binge-drinking, smoking and over-eating by understanding the way their brains, behaviours and environments interact, according to a new report published by the RSA. This report represents the second stage of the RSA’s Social Brain project. It argues that helping people learn how they make judgements and form habits – or rather ‘thinking about thinking’ – could be a more effective and empowering way to encourage positive behavioural change than relying exclusively on either passive ‘nudging’ at one extreme, or purely rational ‘debate’ at the other. Drawing on a range of research from several disciplines, this report argues that this model of mindful, self-directed, and holistic behavioural change has been overlooked in much of the recent policy debates on the subject. It enables people to appraise situations, and make judgements about when they should trust, or be wary of, their gut instincts, rational judgements, or environmental influences.
http://www.thersa.org/projects/social-brain/reports/steer-the-report