Transforming Behavioral Science, Creatively

Transformational creativity comprises not just original ideation, but also its implementation for the common good. In recent times, efforts have been made by national governments and policy actors to infuse elements of behavioral science to promote similar social good—from saving more money to eating healthier food. In this chapter, we argue that building subtle choice architecture around small- and large-scale behavior change requires creativity, which has the potential to be transformational. Whereas nudging for good promotes desirable behavior change, sludges actively discourage such positive change. An example would be making it difficult to manage your own privacy settings on social media. Using anecdotes from across domains, we illustrate (a) how sludges constrain the capacity of behavioral science to enhance public welfare, and (b) how creativity in behavioral science can be transformational.