New York City’s ban on super-sized drinks has sparked a national backlash—and questions about how far is too far to go in a public health campaign. How much unhealthy sin can be squeezed out of the lives of Americans, and what are the best means to do so? A person riding a bus or subway in an American city is subject to billboards that urge you to give up smoking, drink in moderation if at all, avoid unprotected sex, and eat smaller portions. What types of propaganda make people change unhealthy behaviors and adopt healthy ones? When is it more effective to pass laws banning products, and when do incentives encouraging smart choices work best? Los Angeles County Director of Public Health Jonathan Fielding, University of Minnesota social psychologist Traci Mann, and UCLA health economist Frederick J. Zimmerman visit Zócalo to examine when health messages and incentives work—and when all the nagging is counterproductive.
The Takeaway
We’re Going To Attack Your Donut Eating On All Fronts
How Health Propaganda Will Play Out In the Years Ahead
As much as social scientists have learned about what drives people’s decision-making, we still haven’t found a silver bullet for changing people’s behavior. Yet at a panel co-presented by UCLA …