What is it: A number of websites have sprung up which allow you to take out a contract on some behaviour you are in control of. If you fail, you must pay a charity (or anti-charity) or your choice. Although reporting your results is strictly honour-based, the use of peer pressure has proven remarkably effective. In the linked article, it’s proven more effective at motivating weight loss than a number of store-bought plans.
Why is it cool: Aversive stimuli used to create behaviour change is well documented, including the famous experiments by Pavlov.
This article showcases a way that aversive stimuli can be used to generate behaviour modification in the world of interactive media. This suggests a powerfully productive ‘shame’ mechanism that could be applied to all sorts of contexts e.g. making politicians stick to election promises.
Ultimately this is about harnessing the power of the media – online in this case – as a behaviour moderating device. It’s also an interesting insight into how the human mind works in that, contrary to opinion, aversion is a stronger incentive than reward.
Where to find it: here!
Submitted by: Anna Russell
