Behavior Change for Good Initiative

10/08/2026

New research by Team Scientist Ayelet Gneezy & collaborators finds givers think a monetary gift needs to be bigger than receivers do. For charitable giving, this means those who might have donated a small amount give nothing instead.

In one study, telling givers that small gifts are welcome made them more likely to give.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2026.107718

10/06/2026

🚨New BCFG paper 🚨

What does it take to change behavior?

In the Annual Review of Psychology, Team Scientist Jan G. Voelkel and Co-Directors Angela Duckworth & Katy Milkman provide a new framework.

The paper outlines 3 phases of change: building motivation, following through, and forming habits.

Changing behavior is a central challenge in domains ranging from health and finance to voting and education. Drawing on decades of research from psychology and related fields, this review synthesizes high-quality evidence—particularly randomized controlled trials with objective behavioral outcomes...

10/01/2026

New research by Team Scientist Markus Brauer and colleagues tested two approaches to reducing the racial achievement gap in STEM.

Instructors of STEM college courses were randomly assigned to get information on either 1) making their classroom more inclusive, 2) building students' resilience and self-efficacy, or 3) no information at all.

Grades improved only in classrooms where the instructor received the inclusion information, with students from underrepresented groups earning half a letter grade higher than those who received no information.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-70718-9

09/24/2026

“Without exception, every high performer I’ve studied credits a host of supporters for success. Research has found that a willingness to ask for help is crucial to achievement.”

— Co-Director Angela Duckworth in her New York Times op-ed on the power of asking for help.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/28/opinion/successful-people-help.html?unlocked_article_code=1.81A.2j2K.6nv_IS-Elizn&smid=url-share

09/24/2026

Team Scientists Michele Gelfand and James Gross were recently recognized with lifetime achievement awards from the Association for Psychological Science. Congratulations!

https://www.psychologicalscience.org/publications/observer/2027-lifetime-achievement-awards.html

09/16/2026

Why would hiding a bowl of cashews inspire gratitude?

Richard Thaler (Nobel Laureate and BCFG Team Scientist) explains why we treat "now" so differently from "later".

09/08/2026

Some have argued that gratitude can encourage people to accept the status quo.

New research by Team Scientist Tom Gilovich and collaborators found the opposite: people who were dispositionally grateful were more likely to do costly prosocial actions like donating blood, volunteering their time, and helping strangers.

09/03/2026

BCFG joined friends, family and colleagues of Co-Director Angela Duckworth to celebrate the release of her new book, Situated.

Congrats, Angela!

09/01/2026

Angela Duckworth’s new book on the power of the situation is out today!

Read a Q&A with Co-Director Duckworth in this month’s BCFG newsletter:

Co-Director Angela Duckworth’s book on the power of the situation is out today. Join us for a special live, online Q&A with Angela on November 2nd.