What is Behavioral Psychology?
Let’s define behavioral psychology. Behavioral psychology is the study of the connection between our minds and our behavior. Sometimes you will hear behavioral psychology referred to as behaviorism. The researchers and scientists who study behavioral psychology are trying to understand why we behave the way we do and they are concerned with discovering patterns in our actions and behaviors. The hope is that if we can use behavioral psychology to help us predict how humans will behave, we can build better habits as individuals, create better products as companies, and develop better living spaces as communities.
Three Ways to Use Behavioral Psychology Right Now
- How Long Does it Actually Take to Form a New Habit?
- The 5 Triggers That Make New Habits Stick
- Habit Stacking: How to Build New Habits by Taking Advantage of Old Ones
Best Behavioral Psychology Books
- Influence by Robert Cialdini
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- The Person and the Situation by Lee Ross and Richard Nisbett
- Stumbling on Happiness by Dan Gilbert
Want more great books on psychology? Browse my full list of the best psychology books.
More Behavioral Psychology Examples
Let’s talk about how to apply behavioral psychology to your daily life. In each of the articles below, I break down some behavioral psychology research and share practical ways to put it to use in our daily lives.
- 5 Common Mental Errors That Sway You From Making Good Decisions
- 40 Years of Stanford Research Found That People With This One Quality Are More Likely to Succeed
- How to Stick With Good Habits Even When Your Willpower is Gone
- The Akrasia Effect: Why We Don’t Follow Through on What We Set Out to Do (And What to Do About It)
Looking for more articles explaining how to apply behavioral psychology principles in practical ways? I have a full list at the bottom of this page.
All Behavioral Psychology Articles
This is a complete list of articles I have written on behavioral psychology. Enjoy!
- How to Make Your Future Habits Easy
- The Habits Scorecard: Use This Simple Exercise to Discover Which Habits You Should Change
- How to Create a Chain Reaction of Good Habits
- The Scientific Argument for Mastering One Thing at a Time
- Motivation is Overvalued. Environment Often Matters More.
- The Goldilocks Rule: How to Stay Motivated in Life and Business
- The Evolution of Anxiety: Why We Worry and What to Do About It
- The Akrasia Effect: Why We Don’t Follow Through on What We Set Out to Do and What to Do About It
- How to Master the Invisible Hand That Shapes Our Lives
- The Diderot Effect: Why We Want Things We Don’t Need — And What to Do About It
- 5 Common Mental Errors That Sway You From Making Good Decisions
- How to Be Happy When Everything Goes Wrong
- The Chemistry of Building Better Habits
- Two Harvard Professors Reveal One Reason Our Brains Love to Procrastinate
- How to Stop Procrastinating and Boost Your Willpower by Using “Temptation Bundling”
- How to Optimize Your Daily Decisions
- How to Declutter Your Mind and Unleash Your Willpower by Using Bright-Line Rules
- How to Stick With Good Habits Every Day by Using the “Paper Clip Strategy”
- The One Word That Drives Senseless and Irrational Habits
- The 5 Triggers That Make New Habits Stick
- Why Stores Place Candy by the Checkout Counter (And Why New Habits Fail)
- 5 Common Mistakes That Cause New Habits to Fail
- 4 Reasonable Ways to Achieve Overnight Success
- How Smart Do You Have to Be to Succeed?
- This Simple Equation Reveals How Habits Shape Your Health, Happiness, and Wealth
- How Vietnam War Veterans Broke Their Heroin Addictions
- How to Build New Habits by Taking Advantage of Old Ones
- How to Build a New Habit: This is Your Strategy Guide
- How to Be Motivated Every Day: Lessons Learned from Twyla Tharp
- How to Change the Habits of 107,000 People
- How the World Around You Shapes Your Thoughts and Actions
- I’m Using These 3 Simple Steps to Actually Stick with Good Habits
- How Long Does it Actually Take to Form a New Habit? (Backed by Science)
- 10 Simple Ways to Eat Healthy Without Thinking, Backed by Science
- How to Stick With Good Habits Even When Your Willpower is Gone
- 40 Years of Stanford Research Found That People With This One Quality Are More Likely to Succeed
- This Research Study Changed the Way We Think About Success (Here’s How You Can Use It)
- What Happens to Your Brain When You Eat Junk Food
- 10 Common Mistakes That Prevent You From Being Happy and Healthy Today, Backed by Science
- Do the Painful Things First
- 3 Simple Things You Can Do Right Now to Build Better Habits
- How Willpower Works: How to Avoid Bad Decisions
- The Crime Your Brain Commits Against You
- Effortless Ways to Lose Weight and Eat Healthy
- How to Improve Your Health and Productivity Without Thinking
- How Your Beliefs Can Sabotage Your Behavior
- How Positive Thinking Builds Your Skills, Boosts Your Health, and Improves Your Work
- Achieve Your Goals: Research Reveals a Simple Trick That Doubles Your Chances for Success
- The Science of Developing Mental Toughness in Your Health, Work, and Life
- Get Back on Track: 7 Strategies to Help You Bounce Back After Slipping Up
- How to Say No, Resist Temptation, and Stick to Your Health Goals
- How To Start New Habits That Actually Stick
- How to Stick to Little Healthy Habits (Like Flossing) Without Thinking
- Why is it So Hard to Stick to Good Habits?
Behavioral Psychology Research Studies
If you are interested in geeking out on the latest behavioral psychology research, then I recommend looking at studies from these top professors: Dan Ariely, Adam Grant, Daniel Kahneman, Ellen Langer, Kelly McGonigal, Richard Nesbitt, Lee Ross, and Richard Thaler.