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Why society changes: behavioural science explains social norms

Why society changes: behavioural science explains social norms

Update: 2025-07-01
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Social norms can change rapidly — sometimes sparked by viral moments, other times by subtle cultural shifts. Can behavioural science not only explain these changes — but help shape them?

Recorded at the Behavioural Exchange conference #BX2025 in Abu Dhabi, Michael Hallsworth, BIT's Chief Behavioural Scientist, dives deep into the science behind these shifts - asking the question 'What can behavioural science tell us about changing social norms?' 

We hear from: 

🎙️ Nikos Nikiforakis, Professor of Economics at NYU Abu Dhabi and Director of the Center for Behavioral Institutional Design - on what triggers norm shifts, what holds them back, and why "social pioneers" matter.

🎙️ Elke Weber, Eindlinger Professor for Energy and Environment at Princeton University - how individual choices ripple into collective change

🎙️ Rasha Attar, Director of the UAE's Behavioural Science Group - on how leadership and policy can act as catalysts for societal shifts

🎙️ Barbara Fasolo, Director of the Behavioral Lab of Research and Teaching at the London School of Economics - takes us inside organisations to explore how internal norms evolve and how to overcome the biases that slow them down.

What drives change, and how can we harness it? Tune in for a fascinating look at the evolving rules of society, and the science that might just shape its future.

The BIT podcast

Discover the fascinating and surprising world of behavioural insights by listening to the BIT podcast. Find out how understanding the ways people really think and behave through behavioural science can help deliver a fairer society for us all.

Links

To learn more about BIT's work visit our website: www.bi.team

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Why society changes: behavioural science explains social norms

Why society changes: behavioural science explains social norms

Behavioural Insights Team