⬇️ Prefer to listen instead? ⬇️
- A 2024 study found that disclosure didn’t reduce the effectiveness of behavioral nudges—and often boosted results.
- Transparent nudges can increase trust and feelings of autonomy among users.
- People exposed to disclosed nudges often show better long-term compliance with desired behaviors.
- Behavioral scientists are now prioritizing ethics-by-design practices including nudge disclosure.
- Real-world applications—from healthcare texts to personalized app recommendations—show that disclosed nudges work.
Behavioral nudges guide people toward better decisions without making them. Think about calorie labels, text reminders, or setting default choices. But is it right to sway behavior without someone knowing? Recent behavioral science shows something good: telling people about a nudge doesn’t make it weaker. It can actually make it work better and build trust. This shift to being open might change how we think about ethics and how well behavior change tools work.
The Ethical Tension: Helpful or Coercive?
Behavioral nudges work because they use the way our brains take shortcuts. These are fast decisions that don’t involve deep thinking. This works fast, but it also raises a problem: Do nudges unfairly guide people to outcomes they didn’t truly pick? Some say many nudges use how people think quickly without getting their okay. In things like making government rules, teaching, and healthcare, where choices really affect lives, this feels wrong to some. If you aren’t open about it, people might see nudges as treating them like kids and taking away some control in small ways. This question is key in behavioral science: Is it right to guide people’s actions if they don’t know it’s happening? Telling people why you’re nudging them might be the answer. But for a long time, experts worried that showing what the nudge was for would make it stop working. Can nudges still work when people know they are being nudged?
What Is Nudge Disclosure?
Telling people about nudges means being open about when they are used, why, and how they work. It means being clear about subtle ways of shaping behavior instead of keeping them secret. Here are common ways to do this
- Tell People Before: Give text that says what the nudge is trying to do, like: “This message asks you to drink more water daily.”
- Simple Labels or Icons: Use logos or small notes like “Behavioral Insight Applied” on ads or screens.
- Asking or Clicking for Info: Digital tools can have pop-ups or notes saying, “We’re showing you this to help you get more done.”
You have probably seen open nudges already. Think about
- Your energy bill showing how you use energy compared to others nearby.
- Apps for health that tell you to move or drink water and explain why it helps.
- Netflix or Spotify showing recommendations with a label like: “Suggested for you because you watched…”
These examples show how being open about nudges works. They tell you things instead of hiding them. But does being this open make the nudges less effective in changing behavior?
The Behavioral Science Behind Nudging
To see how being open about nudges fits in, we first need to look at how they affect behavior. Behavioral nudges use what Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel winner, calls System 1 thinking. This is thinking that is fast, happens automatically, and you don’t even know you’re doing it. In his book Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011), Kahneman says most decisions aren’t made by weighing costs and benefits carefully. Instead, people use quick mental shortcuts. Nudges are made to work with this fast way of thinking, not against it. For example
- Default Choice: People are more likely to stay signed up for things like organ donation or saving for retirement if they are automatically put in the plan.
- Social Norms: Messages like “Most people in your neighborhood recycle” make more people recycle.
- Noticing and How Things Are Shown: Putting healthy items first or labeling them with bright colors gets more attention and helps people pick them.
These nudges work, but because they are hidden, it brings up ethical issues. Because they often aren’t noticed, people don’t usually know they’ve been influenced. This makes some people say it’s manipulation. So, what about being open? If we show how the nudge works—explaining it instead of hiding it—can nudging still guide behavior while respecting people?
New Evidence: Disclosed Nudges Still Work
People in behavioral science used to think being open would stop nudges from working. If people knew about the nudge, they would fight against it, right?
Wrong.
An important new study in 2024 by Grossman and Milkman tried out open nudges in different real-world settings. People in the study saw nudges that were either hidden or shown openly. The nudges were for things like getting healthier, giving more money to charity, and doing better in school.
What happened? Telling people about the nudge made no big difference to the result in behavior. Sometimes, open nudges even worked better than hidden ones.
The main findings were
- Being open did not lower how many people took part in the encouraged action.
- Open nudges kept trust in who was sending the message.
- People who got why the nudge was used were more likely to do the behavior later if they agreed with the goal.
“Disclosing a nudge did not reduce its effectiveness, and in some contexts, improved behavioral outcomes.” — Grossman et al., 2024
This study shows more proof that being ethical and open doesn’t mean behavior tools won’t work well. When people see the nudge through trust and shared goals, they choose to act. It’s not because they are tricked. It’s because they agree with it.
The Surprising Role of Trust in Transparent Nudges
Trust is a key part of nudging that works well. When people think the person or system sending the message cares about them, they are more likely to go along with it. This is true even when they know someone is trying to influence them. Open nudges build trust because they let people feel they are part of deciding. They create a feeling that the user’s intelligence and control are respected. For example, in digital mental health programs, people say they feel more in control of getting better when the programs are open about the behavior techniques they use. That feeling of respect not only leads to action. It also leads to feeling happier and getting better results over time. Trust also lowers the chance people will react badly. People are less likely to feel tricked or lied to. This is very important in areas like
- Public health messages
- Tools for financial planning
- School material and choices
One good thing over time? Rules and plans based on trust last longer in society. If open nudges become the usual way of making rules, they might lead to a time when governments guide people ethically.
Why Transparent Nudges May Be More Effective Long-Term
Short actions to change behavior happen a lot. But changing behavior for the long term is what really matters. This is especially true for health, building habits, and how people grow. Open nudges have another good thing: people understand and remember things better. When people get why they are doing something, they remember that reason. And this helps them keep doing it over time. Psychologists call this self-attribution. If someone thinks, “I made an appointment for a flu shot because I care about my community’s health,” instead of “because the system reminded me,” they feel the action was their own. This helps directly with things like
- Eating healthy food
- Saving money automatically
- Getting reminders to get shots
- Programs to handle stress
Also, open nudging lets people do behaviors again without needing reminders all the time. This is because they believe in the reason why, not just because they got the result.
Case Studies in Transparent Nudging
Here are some different examples of open nudging used in the real world
Text Messages for Public Health
When flu season came around, a plan to send messages to the public used texts like
“This message is here to help you stay safe by asking you to get a flu shot.”
People who got these open text nudges were just as likely (or more likely) to get a shot compared to those who got regular messages. Being open made people trust the source of the message more and think it cared about their health.
Sites for Watching and Listening Online
Sites like Netflix and Spotify use nudges with lines like
“We suggest this for you based on what you’ve watched before.”
When these suggestions also come with an extra message—like, “We want to help you find things you’ll like”—users say they are happier. Even if users might already guess it’s based on them, being open makes the service seem more believable.
Energy Bills and Nudges About the Environment
Energy companies that told people why they showed how much energy they used compared to neighbors (“We show this to help you use less energy and help the environment”) had people taking part more steadily in programs to save energy than companies that didn’t explain it.
Common Myths About Disclosure in Nudging
Let’s look at some common myths clearly, based on facts
- Myth: “Telling people kills how well nudges work.”
Truth: Many studies show open nudges work just as well—or even better. - Myth: “Nudges only work if people don’t know about them.”
Truth: Knowing about it doesn’t stop the influence. Feeling in control often makes it stronger. - Myth: “Trust only matters in health and money.”
Truth: Trust makes results better in many different areas, like schools, technology, and stores. - Myth: “People don’t want to know they are being influenced.”
Truth: When told in a way that respects them, most people want clear guidance.
A Framework for Ethical Nudging: Empowerment, Not Manipulation
To use behavioral nudges in an ethical way from now on, designers should use a plan called ethics-by-design
- Tell People First: Let users know when behavioral science is being used.
- Allow for Choice: Build ways to choose into the system, not just default options.
- Explain Simply: Use easy words that people can understand and act on.
- Keep People Updated: Let users know how their actions match the goal.
The main point? Make tools or actions that people see, understand, and are happy to accept.
How Professionals Can Use Disclosed Nudges Effectively
People who work in behavioral health, teachers, and app makers can use being open with simple ways that work for many people.
Ways to Do It
- Use clear words like: “This idea is here to help you keep up with your treatment.”
- Add small pop-ups or buttons that say “Why am I seeing this?” in apps or online.
- Create chances to learn: “We put vegetables first to help you eat healthy food.”
- Let people change settings: Give people a way to change or stop nudges.
When people feel respected instead of tricked, they get more involved and build lasting good connections.
Limitations: When Disclosure Might Dilute Nudges
Being open about nudges helps, but it doesn’t solve everything. Think about these risks
- Too Much Information: When people are stressed or tired from making choices, they might not notice or understand what you tell them.
- Too Often: Getting messages too often can make people ignore them, making the effect less strong.
- Sounds Like a Robot: Language that is too formal or hard to understand can stop people instead of explaining things.
Being open is good, but it needs to be planned carefully so it feels human, helpful, and comes at the right time.
Implications for the Future of Behavioral Science
As behavioral science is used in new areas—like city planning, plans for climate, and the justice system—being ethical and open will likely become the best way to do things.
Look for these changes
- Open nudges built into public screens and ways people interact with systems
- Groups that check ethics asking for open nudges when setting up choices
- Ongoing study of how well different types of being open work over time
Being open is not making influence weaker. It could change behavioral nudging so people around the world trust it as a way to do good.
Nudge Smarter, Not Sneakier
The future of behavioral nudges is not about hiding why they are used. It’s about matching them with what users care about. Open nudges have the same power to persuade but are also more ethical. They increase trust, support a feeling of control, and often make results better. Being open about influence might seem odd, but it’s how behavioral science is getting better.
So, next time you see a nudge that is clear to see and you do what it suggests, ask yourself: Did you do it because you were persuaded—or because you trusted it?
