The Fruitless Pursuit of Nudging Healthy Behavior: Comment on Lin, Osman, and Ashcroft

ABSTRACT

The premise of Lin, Osman, and Ashcroft (this issue) is that nudge theory can be applied in all aspects of public life to improve people’s health and well-being. Unfortunately, the literature they present shows only a dismal empirical record of the effectiveness of nudging healthy behavior. In spite of the overwhelmingly positive tone of the authors, the successes attributed to nudge-based interventions in other domains cannot yet be made in the area of health and wellness. In fact, Lin et al.’s review suggests quite the opposite: nudging healthy behavior bears no fruit.