I first stumbled over Dr. Thorndike's work when I was reading Atomic Habits by James Clear, in his book Clear uses a study that Dr. Thorndike and her colleagues conducted which is called "Choice architecture", an intervention where Dr. Thorndike and her colleagues succeeded in changing the habits of thousands of people without boosting their willpower or motivation at all.
I reached out to Dr. Thorndike because I wanted to learn about her journey of becoming and discuss with her how we as a society can work together to design for positive behavioral change.
What is this episode about
Choice Architecture
How we can promote healthy habits
How to quit smoking
How Dr. Anne Thorndike designs her environment for success
What's it's like to teach at Harvard
The price for excellence
Her ideas on happiness and success