大象传媒

Downing Street's Nudge Unit is the world鈥檚 first government institution that uses behavioural economics to examine and influence human behaviour.

Many saw the unit鈥檚 work as 鈥渂onkers鈥� when it started, behavioural scientist Dr David Halpern, chief executive of the Behavioural Insights Team.

But it had been successful in areas like getting people back to work faster, organ donation and improving tax payments, he said.

One example was to add a line to a tax form saying 鈥渕ost people pay their tax on time鈥�, said Dr Halpern.

鈥淲e鈥檙e very influenced by what other people are doing,鈥� he told Today.

鈥淲e鈥檙e all capable of our own self-deceptions and if you prompt people in the right moment it can have surprisingly big effects.鈥�