Why people struggle with change! Understanding the psychological friction that holds us back.

We all say we want to change. To grow. To improve.

But when it comes to behaviour, from our New Year’s resolutions to customers’ adoption of new products and services, most change fails to stick.

In this episode, we explore the psychology of resistance. The very real friction that stops people doing what they say they want to do. And how understanding the hidden forces of human behaviour can help brands, leaders and individuals support meaningful, sustainable change.

We consider:

• Why Status Quo Bias makes us default to comfort, even when it’s no longer serving us
• What loss aversion and risk perception mean for customer loyalty and switching
• How thinking small can win big. The power of small, incremental changes
• Simple ways to reduce friction and build trust in moments of change

It’s the perfect time of year to discuss change and works well alongside a previous episode ‘Fresh Start Effect Incoming…’ which dissects our desire for change at certain points in time.

Whether you’re looking to inspire habitual or behaviour change over the coming months, or just keen to understand why you find it difficult to stick to resolutions. This brings together behavioural science, psychology and practical strategy, to help make more sense of the challenge of moving the status quo.

Studies & further reading:

• Samuelson & Zeckhauser (1988) Status quo bias in decision making
• Norcross et al. (2002) New Year’s resolution success rates
• Kahneman & Tversky (1979) Loss aversion and Prospect Theory
• Wikipedia: Status Quo Bias explained

Thanks for listening. Don’t miss out on your copy of Fabricx’s Behavioural Bias Framework https://fabricx.agency/

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