Social norms can change rapidly — sometimes sparked by viral moments, other times by subtle cultural shifts. Can behavioural science not only explain these changes — but help shape them?

Recorded at the Behavioural Exchange conference #BX2025 in Abu Dhabi, Michael Hallsworth, BIT’s Chief Behavioural Scientist, dives deep into the science behind these shifts - asking the question ‘What can behavioural science tell us about changing social norms?’

We hear from:

🎙️ Nikos Nikiforakis, Professor of Economics at NYU Abu Dhabi and Director of the Center for Behavioral Institutional Design - on what triggers norm shifts, what holds them back, and why “social pioneers” matter.

🎙️ Elke Weber, Eindlinger Professor for Energy and Environment at Princeton University - how individual choices ripple into collective change

🎙️ Rasha Attar, Director of the UAE’s Behavioural Science Group - on how leadership and policy can act as catalysts for societal shifts

🎙️ Barbara Fasolo, Director of the Behavioral Lab of Research and Teaching at the London School of Economics - takes us inside organisations to explore how internal norms evolve and how to overcome the biases that slow them down.

What drives change, and how can we harness it? Tune in for a fascinating look at the evolving rules of society, and the science that might just shape its future.

The BIT podcast

Discover the fascinating and surprising world of behavioural insights by listening to the BIT podcast. Find out how understanding the ways people really think and behave through behavioural science can help deliver a fairer society for us all.

Links

To learn more about BIT’s work visit our website: www.bi.team

Global inequalities are widening and the Covid-19 pandemic, polarisation, geopolitical conflicts and technological disruptions have exposed institutional fragilities worldwide. Understanding what drives successful governance and innovation is critical to addressing these challenges.

Join Mónica Wills Silva, BIT’s Director of International Programmes, as she sits down with Nobel Prize-winning economist Professor James Robinson, to hear his insights on how inclusive political institutions and innovation drive sustainable economic growth.

Professor Robinson’s expertise provided a rare opportunity to connect theoretical insights with practical policymaking, and offered actionable strategies for tackling global challenges, including inequality, climate change, and digital transformation.

The BIT podcast

Discover the fascinating and surprising world of behavioural insights by listening to the BIT podcast, brought to you by the Behavioural Insights Team. Find out how understanding the ways people really think and behave through behavioural science can help deliver a fairer society for us all.

Links

To learn more about BIT’s work visit our website: www.bi.team

Behavioural science is constantly evolving. But what are the latest developments, who is at the forefront of this work and what questions are they raising?

Recorded at the Behavioural Exchange conference #BX2025 in Abu Dhabi, Michael Hallsworth, BIT’s Chief Behavioural Scientist, explores the next frontier of the field with some of its most innovative practitioners - asking the question ‘How will AI affect the ways we apply behavioural science to real-world problems?’

We hear from:

🎙️ Sanjog Misra, Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing and Applied AI at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business - on using AI to deliver super-personalised messaging at scale

🎙️ John List, Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago - how AI can open up ‘option C thinking’

🎙️ Rasha Attar, the Director of the UAE’s Behavioural Science Group - on developing a tailored large language model to enhance understanding of public responses to policy areas

🎙️ Iyad Rahwan, Director at Max Planck Institute for Human Development and the Center for Humans and Machines - on the ethics of AI and user transparency

Tune in to hear how the field of behavioural science is expanding in new and unexpected directions, and how artificial intelligence is being used not just to apply the science more effectively but also reshape the very questions we ask.

The BIT podcast

Discover the fascinating and surprising world of behavioural insights by listening to the BIT podcast, brought to you by the Behavioural Insights Team. Find out how understanding the ways people really think and behave through behavioural science can help deliver a fairer society for us all.

Links

To learn more about BIT’s work visit our website: www.bi.team