No Stupid Questions

57. Which Incentives Are Best at Boosting Vaccination, and Why?

41 snips
Jan 18, 2026
Discover intriguing insights on how specific text messages can dramatically boost vaccination rates. Dive into the psychological nuances behind why 'a dose is reserved for you' proves effective. Explore the balance between nudges and larger incentives, and whether hefty rewards could backfire. The conversation shifts to a playful debate on superpowers, like flight versus invisibility, revealing deeper values and moral dilemmas. They even touch on the art of persuasion and how personal experiences shape our approach to psychology.
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INSIGHT

Reserved Dose Texts Boost Uptake

  • A text saying "a vaccine dose is reserved for you" raised flu vaccination by 4.6 percentage points.
  • Defaults, endowment feelings, loss aversion and perceived personal attention likely combine to drive the effect.
ADVICE

Signal Care To Motivate Action

  • Signal personal attention to increase motivation; even robotic messages can tap a craving for caring.
  • Design communications to reduce perceived waste and emphasize personal allocation of resources.
ANECDOTE

Doctor Facing Screen Harms Connection

  • Angela Duckworth describes the common clinic setup where doctors face screens, turning their backs on patients.
  • She says this architecture undermines communication and personal connection during appointments.
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