Abstract
This rapid, narrative review summarizes useful evidence from behavioral science for fighting the COVID-19 outbreak. We undertook an extensive, multi-disciplinary literature search covering five issues: handwashing, face touching, self-isolation, public-spirited behavior, and responses to crisis communication. The search identified more than 100 relevant papers. We find effective behavioral interventions to increase handwashing, but not to reduce face touching. Social supports and behavioral plans can reduce the negative psychological effects of isolation, potentially reducing the disincentive to isolate. Public-spirited behavior is more likely with frequent communication of what is “best for all”, strong group identity, and social disapproval of noncompliance. Effective crisis communication involves speed, honesty, credibility, empathy, and promoting useful individual actions. Risks are probably best communicated through numbers, with ranges to describe uncertainty – simply stating a maximum may bias public perception. The findings aim to be useful not only for government and public health authorities, but for organizations and communities.
Highlights
This rapid, narrative review summarizes useful evidence from behavioral science for fighting the COVID-19 outbreak
Research in behavioral science has increased in both quantity and quality over recent decades, with leading researchers successfully communicating advances to policymakers and generalists (Thaler & Sunstein, 2008; Kahneman, 2012) and widespread application to policy problems by governments and international organizations around the world
We identify areas where we can be confident of our knowledge
Summary
We can find no proper scientific studies that evaluate interventions designed to reduce the frequency with which people touch their face. Individuals must be psychologically or physically able to undertake the behavior, the environment that surrounds them needs to facilitate the behavior, and their own mental processes need to energize and direct the behavior. The researchers behind this approach have advocated its use in the context of COVID-19 (Michie, 2020). With respect to face touching, a physical intervention might be to place tissues in prominent locations (e.g. immediately beyond the keyboard for office workers, on lunch and coffee tables), so that people can use them and not their hands to scratch an itch. The UK’s Behavioural Insights Team has made similar suggestions (Hallsworth, 2020)
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