Are We Solving the Wrong Problems? | Nick Chater

What if we’ve been focusing on the wrong kind of behavior change all along? And if that’s true, what does it mean—not just for this podcast, but for how we make decisions in our everyday lives?

In this week’s episode, we test the limits of nudging and explore why shifting individual decisions might not be enough to tackle society’s biggest challenges. Sometimes, society needs more than a gentle nudge, it needs a policy push. Whether it’s seatbelt laws or smoking bans, these interventions—often met with initial resistance—can prove surprisingly effective over time.

Nick Chater, co-author of It’s On You with George Loewenstein, joins us to challenge the field’s focus on the “i-frame,” or individual-level solutions. Instead, he makes the case for the “s-frame”, a systems-level approach that addresses the broader structures influencing our behavior. Because while nudges can help, they’re often no match for the powerful systems surrounding us. So the question becomes: are we solving problems effectively, or just elegantly?

Want to watch this episode? Check it out on our YouTube Channel