This year’s economics Nobel Prize winner Richard Thaler wrote a trivia-lover’s fantasy book called Nudge, in which he described how tiny prompts can alter human behaviour.
BBC has a nifty list here.
In the Indian context, a fine example of Thaler’s behavioural economics theory at play are tiles of gods and goddesses being installed on walls to prevent men from peeing.
More effective than warning those who unzip that you are “worse than dogs”.
The question, though, is: did desi genius come up with this idea on its own, or was it subconsciously nudged into it by Thaler?
Hi. Yes, the pictures of Gods will qualify as a Nudge.
But I have seen these from the early 80s, particularly in Bombay . The pictures have appeared as single tiles embedded at stairway landings – to deter ‘paan’ spitting.
They pre-date the theory.
Best regards
Nary ( B ‘Nary’ Narayanaswamy)
No comments :)
It is an age old strategy to keep the public walls clean in India