In 2007, two Harvard researchers added a splash of balsamic vinegar to beer. 

When drinkers knew the beer contained vinegar, they hated it. 

But when the researchers told them “this is our MIT brew," the majority loved it. 

The study reveals the secrets behind marketing. 

On today’s episode of Nudge with award-winning science writer David Robson, we explain how good marketing can shape our perception. 

Link to the bonus episode: ⁠https://nudge.kit.com/86d3e39845⁠ 

Become an FSB member: https://get.fsb.org.uk/nudge/

Read the Expectation Effect: https://amzn.to/4dvkb3s 

David’s website: https://davidrobson.me/ 

David’s Substack: https://davidarobson.substack.com/ 

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Today’s sources: 

Amar, M., Ariely, D., Bar-Hillel, M., Carmon, Z., & Ofir, C. (2011). Brand names act like marketing placebos. Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Clark, A. (2016). Surfing uncertainty: Prediction, action, and the embodied mind. Oxford University Press.

Crum, A. J., & Langer, E. J. (2007). Mind-set matters: Exercise and the placebo effect. Psychological Science, 18(2), 165–171.

Faasse, K., Martin, L.R., Grey, A., Gamble, G., and Petrie, K.J. (2016). Impact of brand or generic labeling on medication effectiveness and side effects. Health Psychology, 35(2), 187.

Grabenhorst, F., Rolls, E. T., & Bilderbeck, A. (2008). How cognition modulates affective responses to taste and flavor: Top-down influences on the orbitofrontal and pregenual cingulate cortices. Cerebral Cortex, 18(7), 1549–1559.

Lee, L., Frederick, S., & Ariely, D. (2006). Try it, you'll like it: The influence of expectation, consumption, and revelation on preferences for beer. Psychological Science, 17(12), 1054–1058.

Lidstone, S. C., Schulzer, M., Dinelle, K., Mak, E., Sossi, V., Ruth, T. J., & Stoessl, A. J. (2010). Effects of expectation on placebo-induced dopamine release in Parkinson disease. Archives of General Psychiatry, 67(8), 857–865.

Plassmann, H., O'Doherty, J., Shiv, B., & Rangel, A. (2008). Marketing actions can modulate neural representations of experienced pleasantness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(3), 1050–1054.

Quattrone, A., Barbagallo, G., Cerasa, A., & Stoessl, A. J. (2018). Neurobiology of placebo effect in Parkinson's disease: What we have learned and where we are going. Movement Disorders, 33(8), 1213–1227.

Robson, D. (2022). The expectation effect: How your mindset can transform your life. Canongate.

Spence, C., & Piqueras-Fiszman, B. (2014). The perfect meal: The multisensory science of food and dining. John Wiley & Sons.

Imagine you’re a chef. 

You are shown the recipe for a soup. It has five ingredients. 

You’re told to improve the recipe. 

What do you do? 

96% of people reveal a bias when answering this question. And that bias makes marketing less effective, communication less engaging and products less appealing. 

Find out why in today’s episode of Nudge with the award-winning professor Leidy Klotz. 

Warning: this episode contains explicit language. 

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Become an FSB member: https://get.fsb.org.uk/nudge/

Leidy’s book, Subtract: https://amzn.to/4df4duk

Leidy’s latest book, In a Good Place: https://amzn.to/4tzjCvE 

Join 11,934 readers of the Nudge Newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list

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Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/ 

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Today’s sources: 

Adams, G. S., Converse, B. A., Hales, A. H., & Klotz, L. E. (2021). "People systematically overlook subtractive changes." Nature, 592(7853), 258–261.

Rogers, T., & Lasky-Fink, J. (2023). Writing for busy readers: Communicate more effectively in the real world. Dutton.

Zhang, Y., Fishbach, A., & Kruglanski, A. W. (2007). The dilution model: How additional goals undermine the perceived instrumentality of a shared path. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(3), 389–401

The British government recently announced a ban on all social media usage for children up to the age of 16. 

But will the ban work? 

Today on Nudge, I explore the psychology of restrictions, bans and friction. 

Warning: this show is restricted to those aged 16 or over. 

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Use code NUDGE for 10% off your FSB membership. 

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Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/ 

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Today’s sources: 

Driscoll, R., Davis, K. E., & Lipetz, M. E. (1972). Parental interference and romantic love: The Romeo and Juliet effect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 24(1), 1–10.

Freedman, J. L. (1965). Long-term behavioral effects of cognitive dissonance. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 1(2), 145–155.

Mazis, M. B., Settle, R. B., & Leslie, D. C. (1973). Elimination of phosphate detergents and psychological reactance. Journal of Marketing Research, 10(4), 390–395.

Spence, C., & Wang, Q. J. (2017). Assessing the impact of closure type on wine ratings and mood. Beverages, 3(4), 52.

Zellinger, D. A., Fromkin, H. L., Speller, D. E., & Kohn, C. A. (1975). A commodity theory analysis of the effects of age restrictions upon pornographic materials. Journal of Applied Psychology, 60(1), 94–99.

Zhang, K., Allard, T., & Bagchi, R. (2025). The token-effort effect: Trivial redemption effort increases price promotion effectiveness. Journal of Marketing.

World-leading behaviour change expert Katy Milkman details how to change your habits. 

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Become an FSB member: https://get.fsb.org.uk/nudge/

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Katy’s book: https://amzn.to/3RF63xA 

Katy’s podcast: https://www.schwab.com/learn/choiceology 

Katy’s newsletter: https://www.katymilkman.com/newsletter-milkman-delivers 

Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list 

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/ 

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Today’s sources:

Beshears, J.Beshears, J., Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Benartzi, S. (2021). Using fresh starts to nudge increased retirement savings. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 167, 72–87.

Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Riis, J. (2014). The fresh start effect: Temporal landmarks motivate aspirational behavior. Management Science, 60(10), 2563–2582.

Eskreis-Winkler, L., Fishbach, A., & Duckworth, A. L. (2018). Dear Abby: Should I give advice or receive it? Psychological Science, 29(11), 1797–1806.

Eskreis-Winkler, L., Milkman, K. L., Gromet, D. M., & Duckworth, A. L. (2019). A large-scale field experiment shows giving advice improves academic outcomes for the advisor. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(30), 14808–14810.

Schroeder, S. A. (2007). We can do better — Improving the health of the American people. New England Journal of Medicine, 357(12), 1221–1228.

In December 2018 Gatwick Airport shut down. 109 eyewitnesses reported sighting 170 drone flights over the airport. 

All flights were grounded, and the nation braced for a terrorist attack.

But what if those sightings weren’t real but instead an imagination caused by expectations? 

In today’s episode with award-winning science journalist David Robson, we explore the science of the expectation effect.

Link to the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/86d3e39845 

Become an FSB member: https://get.fsb.org.uk/nudge/

Read the Expectation Effect: https://amzn.to/4dvkb3s 

David’s website: https://davidrobson.me/ 

David’s Substack: https://davidarobson.substack.com/

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Today’s sources: 

Benedetti, F., Durando, J., & Vighetti, S. (2014). Nocebo and placebo modulation of hypobaric hypoxia headache involves the cyclooxygenase-prostaglandins pathway. Pain, 155(5), 921–928.

Job, V., Dweck, C. S., & Walton, G. M. (2010). Ego depletion—Is it all in your head? Implicit theories about willpower affect self-regulation. Psychological Science, 21(11), 1686–1693.

Langer, E., Djikic, M., Pirson, M., Madenci, A., & Donohue, R. (2010). Believing is seeing: Using mindlessness (mindfully) to improve visual acuity. Psychological Science, 21(5), 661–666.

Merckelbach, H., & van de Ven, V. (2001). Another white Christmas: Fantasy proneness and reports of 'hallucinatory experiences' in undergraduate students. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 32(3), 137–144.

Montes, J., Wulf, G., & Navalta, J. W. (2018). Maximal aerobic capacity can be increased by enhancing performers' expectancies. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 58(5), 744–749.

Pirson, M., Ie, A., & Langer, E. (2012). Seeing what we know, knowing what we see: Challenging the limits of visual acuity. Journal of Adult Development, 19(2), 59–67.

Robson, D. (2022). The expectation effect: How your mindset can transform your life. Canongate.

The broken windows theory suggests that one broken window can cause a neighbourhood to descend into disrepair. But is it true? 

Today, with the award-winning professor Leidy Klotz, we investigate the broken windows theory and explain how environments shape our behaviour. 

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Become an FSB member: https://get.fsb.org.uk/nudge/

Leidy’s book Subtract: https://amzn.to/4df4duk

Leidy’s latest book In a Good Place: https://amzn.to/4tzjCvE 

Join 11,934 readers of the Nudge Newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list

Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/ 

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Today’s sources: 

Brown, G., & Baer, M. (2011). Location in negotiation: Is there a home field advantage? Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 114(2), 190–200.

Cialdini, R. B. (2016). Pre-suasion: A revolutionary way to influence and persuade. Simon & Schuster.

Langer, E. J., & Rodin, J. (1976). The effects of choice and enhanced personal responsibility for the aged: A field experiment in an institutional setting. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34(2), 191–198.

Pinsker, H., Kupfermann, I., Castellucci, V., & Kandel, E. R. (1970). Habituation and dishabituation of the gill-withdrawal reflex in Aplysia. Science, 167(3926), 1740–1742.

Rajecki, D. W. (1974). Effects of prenatal exposure to auditory or visual stimulation on postnatal distress vocalizations in chicks. Behavioral Biology, 11(4), 525–536.

Rodin, J., & Langer, E. J. (1977). Long-term effects of a control-relevant intervention with the institutionalized aged. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35(12), 897–902.

Wells, M. M. (2000). Office clutter or meaningful personal displays: The role of office personalization in employee and organizational well-being. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 20(3), 239–255.

Octopus Energy went from £0 in revenue to £12 billion in 10 years. 

Today, on Nudge, I chat with their first employee Pete Miller, who explains how they used nudges to grow. 

Hear why they: 

1) Encourage customers to spin a wheel to reward metre readings. 

2) Give away free electricity at 4pm. 

3) Play you the number one song from the year you turned 14. 

4) And gave away 40,000 electric blankets during an energy crisis.

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Today’s sources: 

Shampanier, K., Mazar, N., & Ariely, D. (2007). Zero as a special price: The true value of free products. Marketing Science, 26(6), 742–757.

Shen, L., Fishbach, A., & Hsee, C. K. (2015). The motivating-uncertainty effect: Uncertainty increases resource investment in the process of reward pursuit. Journal of Consumer Research, 41(5), 1301–1315

Skinner, B. F. (1938). The behavior of organisms: An experimental analysis. Appleton-Century-Crofts.

The Enhanced Games, hosted in Las Vegas last Saturday, made a bold claim.

With the use of performance-enhancing drugs, enhanced athletes would break not just personal records but world records. 

And the end goal? To sell those same drugs to the masses. 

It’s arguably the biggest marketing stunt of the year so far, and today on Nudge I reveal the psychology behind it. 

Did the Enhanced Games succeed? Listen to find out. 

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Today’s sources 

Landy, D., & Sigall, H. (1974). Beauty is talent: Task evaluation as a function of the performer's physical attractiveness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 29(3), 299–304.

Miller, A. G. (1970). Role of physical attractiveness in impression formation. Psychonomic Science, 19(4), 241–242.

Mujika, I., & Burke, L. M. (2019). Swimming fast when it counts: A 7-year analysis of Olympic and World Championships performance. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance.

Nicolau, J. L., Mellinas, J. P., & Martín-Fuentes, E. (2020). The halo effect: A longitudinal approach. Annals of Tourism Research, 83, 102938.

Nisbett, R. E., & Wilson, T. D. (1977). The halo effect: Evidence for unconscious alteration of judgments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35(4), 250–256.

In this episode, I chat to Pete Miller, part of the co-founding team at Octopus Energy, who helped design one of the most recognisable new logos in Britain. 

Hear how Octopus used two proven psychological principles to build a logo people remember (and why those same principles are being ignored by most of the industry).

You'll learn:

- Why a distinct logo made one beer taste 5% better

- How a 1933 German study explains why Octopus stands out

- Why brands from McDonald's to KFC give their logos human faces

- And what happened when researchers asked people to turn off a robot 

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Read Aaron’s book: ⁠https://thethingswelove.com/⁠

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Today’s sources: 

Bartneck, C., Van Der Hoek, M., Mubin, O., & Al Mahmud, A. (2007). "Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do!": Switching off a robot. Proceedings of the 2nd ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, 217–222.

Shotton, R. (2017). The choice factory: 25 behavioural biases that influence what we buy. Harriman House.

Shotton, R. (2023). The illusion of choice: 16½ psychological biases that influence what we buy. Harriman House.

Von Restorff, H. (1933). Über die Wirkung von Bereichsbildung im Spurenfeld. Psychologische Forschung, 18, 299–342.

In Singapore, a group of runners charge 50p per kilometre to run on strangers' Strava accounts. 

That's how far people will go to look fit online. 

This episode explains the psychology behind why being watched changes everything.

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Owain’s company CogCo: https://cogco.co/ 

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Join 11,626 readers of my newsletter: ⁠https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list ⁠

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Today’s sources: 

Gerber, A. S., Green, D. P., & Larimer, C. W. (2008). Social pressure and voter turnout: Evidence from a large-scale field experiment. American Political Science Review, 102(1), 33–48.

Sallis, A., Harper, H., & Sanders, M. (2018). Effect of persuasive messages on National Health Service organ donor registrations: A pragmatic quasi-randomised controlled trial with one million UK road taxpayers. Trials, 19, 513.

Service, O., & Gallagher, R. (2017). Think small: The surprisingly simple ways to reach big goals. Michael O'Mara Books.
Triplett, N. (1898). The dynamogenic factors in pacemaking and competition. American Journal of Psychology, 9, 507–533.

Professor Richard Wiseman searched for the world’s funniest joke. 

He found it. 

But it wasn’t what he expected. 

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Richard’s book Quirkology: https://amzn.to/4shYOJ6 

Richard’s book 59 Seconds: https://amzn.to/3Pf9pWI 

Richard’s SubStack: https://richardwiseman.substack.com/ 

Join 11,934 readers of the Nudge Newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list

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Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/ 

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Today’s sources: 

Asch, S. E. (1955). Opinions and social pressure. Scientific American, 193(5), 31–35.

Crum, A. J., & Langer, E. J. (2007). Mind-set matters: Exercise and the placebo effect. Psychological Science, 18, 165–171.

Wiseman, R. (2009). 59 seconds: Think a little, change a lot. Knopf.

Wolff, H. A., Smith, C. E., & Murray, H. A. (1934). The psychology of humor: I. A study of responses to race-disparagement jokes. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 28, 345–365.