Behavioral Economics and Health Behaviors

Saturday, February 16, 2013
Room 309 (Hynes Convention Center)
David Laibson , Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
There is a robust gap between our good intentions and our imperfect actions. Poor nutritional choices, low rates of exercise, and low levels of medical adherence illustrate this problem. This talk explains how present-bias creates this gap. The talk will identify a range of interventions that have been successfully employed to close this gap. Defaults, active choice, and numerous other nudges that lower health costs and improve health outcomes will be discussed.