Have you ever wondered where the white lines on the ground indicating the distances to be respected in queues or on subway platforms came from since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic? Or the little fly drawn in the back of the urinal to encourage you to aim where it is needed? Behind these small details hides a method of gentle influence: the nudge (“nudge” in English).
Resulting from research in behavioral economics, cognitive psychology or neuroscience, the nudge makes it possible to influence individual behavior without constraining. Since the end of the 2000s, this approach has been used more and more by companies and public authorities. How does it work? Can we speak of manipulation?
Marie Charrel, journalist in the economy department of World, explains what this practice consists of.
An episode produced by Clément Baudet, presented by Jean-Guillaume Santi and directed by Amandine Robillard.
“Time of the World”
“L’Heure du Monde” is the daily news podcast of the World. Listen to a new episode every day from 6 a.m. on Lemonde.fr or on Spotify. Find all the episodes here.