Accessibility links
Using Psychology To Save You From Yourself Human beings don't always behave rationally. Now, policymakers are using research about human decision-making to design policies to protect humans from their own poor judgment — including everything from unwanted pregnancies to failing to save for retirement.
NPR logo

Using Psychology To Save You From Yourself

Listen · 9:07
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/104803094/105128489" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Using Psychology To Save You From Yourself

National

Using Psychology To Save You From Yourself

Heard on All Things Considered

Using Psychology To Save You From Yourself

Listen · 9:07
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/104803094/105128489" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Enlarge this image

Cass Sunstein, President Obama's pick to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, supports policies that use psychology research to create behavioral incentives. Phil Farnsworth/Harvard Law hide caption

toggle caption
Phil Farnsworth/Harvard Law

Cass Sunstein, President Obama's pick to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, supports policies that use psychology research to create behavioral incentives.

Phil Farnsworth/Harvard Law

Psych! We Got Ya

Correction July 26, 2009

The audio and a previous Web version of this story said that the city of Greensboro, N.C., was currently experimenting with a program designed to help prevent teenage mothers from having another child by offering a payment of $1 for each day that a young woman did not get pregnant. Greensboro in the past experimented with such a program, but no such program is currently in effect.