Introducing the idea of "Happy Nudges" - the little things that make us happy - insights for marketers and designers

1. HOW TO BE HAPPY
DR. PAUL
MARSDEN
PSYCHOLOGIST
@marsattacks
Behavioural Economics and “Happy Nudges”

3. 3 Weeks
Smiling selfies
Photos of things that make
you happy
Sending photos of things you
think will make others happy
+22% happier
Smartphone happiness
Source: Chen, Y., Mark, G., & Ali, S. (2016). Promoting positive affect through smartphone photography. Psychology of Well-Being, 6(1), 1-16.

4. Positive Psychology
Science and practice of improving wellbeing

5. –Baruch Spinoza
“Everyone wants continuous and genuine happiness.”

7. What is this thing called happiness?

8. What is this thing called happiness?
Being happy in life Being happy with life

9. Being happy in life
Frequency of positive affect
Active
Attentive
Determined
Enthusiastic
Excited
Inspired Interested
Proud Strong
Alert
Infrequency of negative affect
Afraid
Distressed
Guilty
Hostile
Irritable
Jittery Nervous
Scared Upset
Ashamed
Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. Journal of personality and social psychology,

10. Being happy with life
You Your Ideal Life
Overall satisfaction with life
Memory, Experience, Anticipation
Few regrets
Regrets

11. Hedonia and Eudaimonia
Being happy in life Being happy with life Meaning/Purpose

12. BE & Happiness?
Positive choice architecture?
• Positive nudge towards outcomes associated with positive feelings
• Positive nudge towards outcomes associated with ideals
• Positive reframing of past, present and future

13. What are the things that make people happy?

14. Genes
50%
Activities
40%
Circumstances
10%
What are the things that make people happy?
It’s the little things
“happy nudges”
Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). The how of happiness: A scientific approach to getting the life you want. Penguin.

15. Sometimes big life events have
small effects on happiness

16. Sometimes big life events have
small effects on happiness

17. Sometimes big life events have
small effects on happiness

18. Sometimes big life events have
small effects on happiness

19. Sometimes big life events have
small effects on happiness

20. Happy surprises and set-points
Although we may respond to unexpected positive events with short term surges in
happiness, we return to our happiness set point or baseline (hedonic treadmill)
Happy surprise!
• Happiness happens when unexpected positive events happen, but we have a
natural happiness set-point to which we return

21. “Happy nudges”
• Little behavioural changes can make big differences to happiness
Expressing gratitude Cultivating optimism
Avoiding
overthinking and
social comparison
Practising acts of
kindness
Nurturing
relationships
Developing strategies
for coping
Learning to forgive
Doing more activities
that truly engage you
Savoring life’s joys
Committing to your
goals
Practising religion
and spirituality
Taking care of your
body (eating well/
exercising)
Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). The how of happiness: A scientific approach to getting the life you want. Penguin.

22. “Happy nudges”
• “Positive psychology” uses simple clinically validated behavioural techniques
to improve happiness
Every evening as you clean your
teeth, think of three good things
that happened to you that day,
and ask yourself why they
happened

23. “Happy nudges”
Autonomy
Our universal need
for autonomy is about
self-determination;
experiencing
freedom, choice and
control.
Relatedness
Our universal need
for relatedness is
about giving and
experiencing
attachment, security
and love.
Competence
Our universal need
for competence is
about experiencing
mastery
achievement, and
success.
• The ARC of Happiness (self-determination theory) - improving people’s
sense of autonomy, relatedness or competence, improves happiness

24. Happy nudges
Autonomy
vs. Helplessness – do
we feel in control or
do we feel helpless to
circumstance and
systems?
Relatedness
vs. Isolation – do we
feel cared for
by others, or do we
feel left behind,
alone and isolated?
Competence
vs. Frustration – do we
experience mastery
and achievement, or
are our goals put out
of reach?
• President Trump’s campaign focused on the ARC of happiness

25. Happy nudges
• Activate Autonomy - How might a choice promote a sense
of autonomy, freedom or control?
• Reward Relatedness - How might a choice
help people care for and feel cared for by others?
• Cultivate Competence - How might a choice help
people feel that more competent and proficient?

26. Promoting a sense of Autonomy (Stitch Fix, Nike)

27. Promoting a sense of Relatedness (CuteCircuit hugshirt, Nike/Lululemon communities)

28. Promoting a sense of Competence (Nike, Under Armour)

29. Customer Experience is Worthless

30. Memories of Customer Experience are Priceless

31. customer experience

32. we only remember the peak moment and the end moment
peak
end

33. we only remember the peak moment and the end moment
peak
end
remembered
experience

35. Thinking, Fast and Slow
• The part you may have missed
• Happiness - it’s complicated…
• Happy experiences vs happy memories
• ‘Experiencing Self’ vs ‘Remembering Self’

38. PAININTENSITY
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
PATIENT A
PAININTENSITY
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
5 10 15 20
TIME (MINUTES)
PATIENT B
TIME (MINUTES)
5 10
Experienced more pain, remembered less pain

39. The Peak/End Rule

40. 18 Positive Design Interventions
to promote happiness

41. Brands with happiest
users grow 2x category
average
Brands with 5+ years
sustained growth
have 2x happier users
Source Bain/Reichheld, 2011

42. The care of human life
and happiness… is the
only legitimate object of
good government
The care of human life
and happiness… is the
only legitimate object of
good behavioural
economics
Thomas Jefferson 1809

43. –Jeremy Bentham
How can we become agents of positive change and put
Behavioural Economics to the service of human
happiness?
“The greatest happiness for the greatest number.”