Interview of Angela Duckworth It’s part of our DNA. The desire to help others is hardwired, or definitely built into human nature. You don’t have to tell very young children to feel bad when they see another child lose a toy. It’s part and parcel of who we are. It’s social. Relationships are the biggest … Continued
Is it better to be a thinker, a doer, or a charmer? And what’s the problem with virtue signaling? Angela Duckworth also recalls a conversation she had with her University of Pennsylvania colleague Adam Grant about ranking world issues. Listen more at Freakonomics.
Behavior Change for Good (BCFG), founded by Professors Katy Milkman and Angela Duckworth, launched in 2017. This initiative, housed at The Wharton School and the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, unites a world-class, interdisciplinary team of academic experts with leading organizational partners to help advance the science and practice of … Continued
“Penn’s top behavioral scientists are getting closer to discovering how to make lasting positive change in people’s lives. In September, the Behavior Change for Good Initiative received a $2 million donation from 1983 Wharton graduate Marc J. Leder. Executive Director Dena Gromet said the leaders of BCFG are thrilled about the donation. The initiative, which was started … Continued
From The Philadelphia Inquirer: Written by Katy Milkman, Linnea Gandhi, and Angela Duckworth. Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authorized new COVID-19 booster vaccines with the hope of staving off another wave of hospitalization and death this winter. Invaluable as vaccines have been in the fight … Continued
An all-star team of behavioral scientists discovers that humans are stubborn (and lazy, and sometimes dumber than dogs). We also hear about binge drinking, humblebragging, and regrets. Recorded live in Philadelphia with guests including Richard Thaler, Angela Duckworth, Katy Milkman, and Tom Gilovich. Read and listen on Freakonomics.
From CNN: By Kasandra Brabaw, Anastasia Buyalskaya, Angela Duckworth and Katy Milkman As you’re drafting your New Year’s resolutions, you may think that it takes 21 days of repeating an action for that action to become a habit. So, you set out to go to the gym for 21 days, thinking that by day 22 … Continued
“With the recently launched Behavior Change for Good Initiative, University of Pennsylvania psychology professor Angela Duckworth and Wharton professor of operations, information and decisions Katherine Milkman are hoping to come up with strategies for change that actually stick. Working with a team of scientists from different disciplines, they’re conducting some of the largest social science … Continued
“When you have achieved a step leading to your goal, take the time to recognize the progress you have made. Some people have found it helpful to develop a reward system, when a goal step is reached. These rewards don’t have to be large or expensive. Psychologist Angela Duckworth has studied how and why people … Continued
From Scientific American: By Aneesh Rai, Marissa Sharif, Edward Chang, Katy Milkman & Angela Duckworth The prospect of learning a new language can be daunting, especially for an adult. Spending dozens of hours a year on lessons just to make slow progress on a new skill can seem out of reach—particularly when juggling work and family responsibilities … Continued
A key element to the 24 Hour Fitness mission is BCFG’s StepUp Program. Led by Angela Duckworth, Professor of Psychology in the Penn School of Arts and Sciences, and Katherine Milkman, Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions at the Wharton School, a world-class scientific team, including Nobel laureates and members of the National Academy of … Continued
From The Philadelphia Citizen: By: Angela Duckworth “If you buy me Creepy Crawlers, I swear I will never, ever, ever ask for another toy!” This was my impassioned argument for the must-have toy of the 1978 holiday season. That year, girls and boys across the country begged and pleaded for a machine that made rubbery bugs … Continued
Have a massive, daring goal in mind? Breaking it into smaller steps can help you achieve your dreams. A research paper led by Wharton PhD alumni Aneesh Rai and Edward Chang and co-authored by Wharton professors Marissa Sharif, Katy Milkman, and Angela Duckworth found that breaking down a commitment to volunteer 200 hours per year for a nonprofit into smaller subgoals (volunteering 4 hours weekly … Continued
Angela Duckworth mentions the identifiable victim effect — the idea that a single individual’s story (an identifiable victim) is more compelling than a group of people with the same need (a statistical victim). George Loewenstein, Deborah Small and Jeff Strnad all contributed to the 2005 paper that discusses this theory. Listen to the full … Continued
By Meghan Ross
Between 40-50% of premature deaths in the United States are due to behaviors we could change, said Katy Milkman, PhD, at a roundtable discussion on creating habit formation for behaviors. “This means what we’re doing in this room is really important and can have a really big impact,” said Dr. Milkman, who is co-director of … Continued