4 Reasons Why Behavior Change is Happening at Lightning Speed
These are momentous times, with changes happening at lightning speed in every facet of our lives. Whether by choice or enforcement, people are shifting their behaviors in one way or another. We must choose whether to put on a face mask, donate, hug a loved one, leave our home, or if we actually need to put on pants for work. Choices we never considered before, or because of privilege never had to consider, are now constant. Even deciding not to act is an action.
So why is behavior change happening so rapidly now? Why are some people willing to change so much and so quickly today, when changing behavior felt like moving mountains before?
If you work in the conservation and animal welfare realm and have struggled to change others’ behaviors, these questions probably resonate with you. Even seemingly simple things - efforts to get people to stop using plastic straws or spaying and neutering their pets - have felt impossible at times. Now we are seeing highly complex changes happen at what feels like lightning speed. There are reasons why these changes are happening so quickly, and we can learn from these experiences and use them to inform how we attempt to shift human behaviors for good.
“There are decades when nothing happens, and then there are weeks where decades happen.” - V. Lenin
What Motivates People to Change Behavior:
At Impact by Design, we work with clients around the world that strive to shift human behavior for the benefit of people, animals, and the environment. We know a few things matter a lot when motivating people to act:
Emotions: As weird as human behavior can be, it can often boil down to one important thing - people do what they do to feel better. In America and around the world, people are discovering the power of their voice through protest and getting involved can help them feel better by alleviating a sense of helplessness or hopelessness. Wearing a mask can soothe our fears, and connecting via Zoom with loved ones, instead of in person, can help heal loneliness.
Framing messages around what people value: The most effective messages incorporate things people already value. Requests to shelter in place that are framed as 'Safer at Home' or 'Alone Together' tap into values of safety and togetherness, which many people can relate to right now. Asking people to come out to support justice for people of color because ‘no justice equals no peace’ connects to something deeply important to many of us. Messages that are tied to things people already care about help bridge a gap between the issue and why it should matter to the individual. This leads to an increased likelihood someone will act.
Having trusted voices deliver the message: We believe information the most when it comes from sources we trust. When those individuals and organizations ask us to do something, we tend to stop and consider it more. In today's political climate, how behaviors are influenced by an individual’s political identity are an excellent example of how powerful a trusted messenger can be. Because of who people trust on either side of the political spectrum, they may choose whether to wear a mask, take certain medications, or support different sides of an argument around police brutality. Humans have a deep, innate drive to relate and connect to others, and these connections deeply influence how we choose to behave. Additionally, in an emergency, we often seek guidance from others on what to do. During the many crises we have faced in recent times, it’s no wonder everyone is looking to other people to see how to behave ‘correctly.’
Urgency: All the changes people are rapidly making have something important in common – timing. The timing was right for these shifts because of cataclysmic events that created a deep sense of urgency to do something or else continue to feel negative emotions or consequences. When people see others acting quickly to address something en masse, it creates a sense that we need to ‘follow the herd’ as well. It doesn't always take a pandemic or civil unrest to spark change, but it is undoubtedly accelerating the change we see today.
These factors can help us understand why and how behavior change is happening so quickly right now. The timing is right. People are creating messages around things we value, such as identity, family, and safety, which are concepts most people relate to on some level. Droves of people are stepping out and up to encourage others to behave differently, and people are reacting.
So, what does this mean for your work?
If you work in the conservation or animal welfare space, you may be wondering a few things. How can my work achieve change at this level as well? Can I get people to care about environmental and animal welfare issues like they do about social justice and human health?
It can be hard to know when the timing is right for your organization to start messaging around behavior change, and the issues we are facing today deserve their space. But when the timing is right, here are a few tips to motivate action based on some of our lessons learned:
