Across 38 randomized trials, text reminders improved health behaviors by 0.29 SD. Opt-out defaults raise uptake by about 0.68 SD over opt-in. A new Annual Review sorts such tools by phase: motivation, follow-through, habit.
‼️New Paper Alert‼️What does it take to change behavior? In a fresh Annual Review article, @JGVoelkel, @AngelaDuckw and I argue it's helpful to consider 3 phases of change: 1️⃣ building motivation 2️⃣ following-through 3️⃣ forming durable habits 🧩KEY TAKEAWAY: At each phase, different obstacles to change arise that need to be met with evidence-based, tailored solutions. For instance, at the follow-through phase, forgetting can disrupt change. But forgetting can be combatted by reminders or feedback. Impatience can also disrupt follow-through, but it can be addressed in part by making change more fun or providing access to commitment devices. These are not the only obstacles to follow-through, however, and different obstacles arise at the motivation and habit forming phases, which are best tackled with entirely different solutions. Table 1 from our paper (reprinted below) offers a summary of common obstacles to change and evidence-based solutions. ⭐Our review focuses on solutions supported by *high quality evidence*, particularly from field experiments with objective behavioral outcomes (e.g., grades, gym visits, hours spent volunteering). 👀Take a look at our new piece in the Annual Review of Psychology: tinyurl.com/change-annualrev… Huge thanks to our excellent editor @EliJFinkel. We're very grateful for support from @Wharton, @BehaviorChange, @Penn and @Cornell, which made this work possible.

Sep 24, 2026 · 3:30 AM UTC

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Voelkel, Milkman and Duckworth, Behavior Change, Annual Review of Psychology (Review in Advance 2026, vol. 78, 2027), Cornell, Wharton and Penn (narrative review; effect sizes are cited from prior RCTs and meta-analyses, which the authors call rough benchmarks). doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psyc…
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