Ideas worth spreading

How to motivate people to do good for others

2,473,741 views | Erez Yoeli • TEDxCambridge

How can we get people to do more good: to go to the polls, give to charity, conserve resources or just generally act better towards others? MIT research scientist Erez Yoeli shares a simple checklist for harnessing the power of reputations -- or our collective desire to be seen as generous and kind instead of selfish -- to motivate people to act in the interest of others. Learn more about how small changes to your approach to getting people to do good could yield surprising results.

How can we get people to do more good: to go to the polls, give to charity, conserve resources or just generally act better towards others? MIT research scientist Erez Yoeli shares a simple checklist for harnessing the power of reputations -- or our collective desire to be seen as generous and kind instead of selfish -- to motivate people to act in the interest of others. Learn more about how small changes to your approach to getting people to do good could yield surprising results.

This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxCambridge, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

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About the speaker

Erez Yoeli

Research scientist

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Erez Yoeli's research focuses on altruism: understanding how it works and how to promote it.

Richard Dawkins | Oxford University Press, 1990 | Book

The Selfish Gene

Dawkins's book sets the standard for applying evolutionary thinking to gaining insight on animal and human behavior, even decades after it was first published. Check out, in particular, chapters 10 and 12, which have important implications for our sense of altruism and can explain the role of observability.

Robert Boyd | Princeton University Press, 2017 | Book

A Different Kind of Animal: How Culture Transformed Our Species

Boyd adds to Dawkins by considering the role of culture and norm enforcement in shaping our sense of what's right. Check out chapter 2. In it, Boyd argues that humans have a unique psychology for enforcing norms and that this psychology is what enables human cooperation and success. The premise of our team's work is that our sense of altruism is deeply shaped by this psychology and the reputational concerns it induces.

Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein | Penguin Books, 2009 | Book

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

In recent years, there has been an explosion of research showing that simple changes in how a decision is framed can have a huge impact on behavior. This approach is now called "nudging" after the title of this book, which launched this revolution. Not all the nudges in this book relate to altruism, but as you read about nudges that do, try to think about how our reputations framework can add some direction on which nudges will be most effective, and when.

Robert Cialdini | Harper Business, 2006 | Book

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

Long before nudging was a thing, this easy-to-read how-to was a staple on the shelves of businessmen and academics interested in proven techniques for promoting behavior change. When you read this book, see if you can spot techniques for communicating expectations, many of which were pioneered by Cialdini and his students. As with Nudge, I suggest trying to think about what our reputations framework can add.

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This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxCambridge, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.