Michael HallsworthEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

In our increasingly distrusting and polarized world, accusations of hypocrisy are everywhere. But our attempts to stamp out hypocrisy may backfire, creating what Michael Hallsworth calls The Hypocrisy Trap. In his book The Hypocrisy Trap: How Changing What We Criticize Can Improve Our Lives (MIT Press, 2026) Hallsworth shows how our relentless drive to expose inconsistency between words and deeds can actually breed more hypocrisy and cynicism that corrodes our institutions. Through engaging stories and original research, he argues that while some forms of hypocrisy destroy trust and create harm, others reflect the inevitable compromises of human nature and complex societies...

In our increasingly distrusting and polarized world, accusations of hypocrisy are everywhere. But our attempts to stamp out hypocrisy may backfire, creating what Michael Hallsworth calls The Hypocrisy Trap. In his book The Hypocrisy Trap: How Changing What We Criticize Can Improve Our Lives (MIT Press, 2026) Hallsworth shows how our relentless drive to expose inconsistency between words and deeds can actually breed more hypocrisy and cynicism that corrodes our institutions. Through engaging stories and original research, he argues that while some forms of hypocrisy destroy trust and create harm, others reflect the inevitable compromises of human nature and complex societies...

In our increasingly distrusting and polarized world, accusations of hypocrisy are everywhere. But our attempts to stamp out hypocrisy may backfire, creating what Michael Hallsworth calls The Hypocrisy Trap. In his book The Hypocrisy Trap: How Changing What We Criticize Can Improve Our Lives (MIT Press, 2026) Hallsworth shows how our relentless drive to expose inconsistency between words and deeds can actually breed more hypocrisy and cynicism that corrodes our institutions. Through engaging stories and original research, he argues that while some forms of hypocrisy destroy trust and create harm, others reflect the inevitable compromises of human nature and complex societies. This book offers practical solutions for increasing consistency, navigating accusations wisely, and changing how we judge others’ actions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In our increasingly distrusting and polarized world, accusations of hypocrisy are everywhere. But our attempts to stamp out hypocrisy may backfire, creating what Michael Hallsworth calls The Hypocrisy Trap. In his book The Hypocrisy Trap: How Changing What We Criticize Can Improve Our Lives (MIT Press, 2026) Hallsworth shows how our relentless drive to expose inconsistency between words and deeds can actually breed more hypocrisy and cynicism that corrodes our institutions. Through engaging stories and original research, he argues that while some forms of hypocrisy destroy trust and create harm, others reflect the inevitable compromises of human nature and complex societies. This book offers practical solutions for increasing consistency, navigating accusations wisely, and changing how we judge others’ actions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In our increasingly distrusting and polarized world, accusations of hypocrisy are everywhere. But our attempts to stamp out hypocrisy may backfire, creating what Michael Hallsworth calls The Hypocrisy Trap. In his book The Hypocrisy Trap: How Changing What We Criticize Can Improve Our Lives (MIT Press, 2026) Hallsworth shows how our relentless drive to expose inconsistency between words and deeds can actually breed more hypocrisy and cynicism that corrodes our institutions. Through engaging stories and original research, he argues that while some forms of hypocrisy destroy trust and create harm, others reflect the inevitable compromises of human nature and complex societies. This book offers practical solutions for increasing consistency, navigating accusations wisely, and changing how we judge others’ actions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In our increasingly distrusting and polarized world, accusations of hypocrisy are everywhere. But our attempts to stamp out hypocrisy may backfire, creating what Michael Hallsworth calls The Hypocrisy Trap. In his book The Hypocrisy Trap: How Changing What We Criticize Can Improve Our Lives (MIT Press, 2026) Hallsworth shows how our relentless drive to expose inconsistency between words and deeds can actually breed more hypocrisy and cynicism that corrodes our institutions. Through engaging stories and original research, he argues that while some forms of hypocrisy destroy trust and create harm, others reflect the inevitable compromises of human nature and complex societies. This book offers practical solutions for increasing consistency, navigating accusations wisely, and changing how we judge others’ actions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, MichaelAaron and Richard sit down with behavioral scientist Michael Hallsworth, co-creator of the EAST framework and author of The Hypocrisy Trap. They explore behavior change, social influence, hypocrisy, and why relatable messengers, simple interventions, and context matter more than most marketers realize.

Welcome to episode #1023 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). In an era where outrage travels faster than reflection, few accusations carry as much moral force as the charge of hypocrisy… and yet few concepts are as misunderstood. Michael Hallsworth is Chief Behavioral Scientist at the Behavioral Insights Team and a leading voice in behavioral economics, with academic appointments at the University of Pennsylvania and a career devoted to understanding how real people actually think and act in complex systems. His research spans public policy, organizational behavior and social judgment, examining how incentives, norms, and cognitive biases shape everything from government programs to corporate decision-making. In his new book, The Hypocrisy Trap - How Changing What We Criticize Can Improve Our Lives , Michael challenges the conventional belief that hypocrisy is simply a moral failing to be stamped out. Instead, he reframes it as a process… an inconsistency we dislike because we believe someone is gaining an unjust benefit… and argues that relentless accusations can backfire, breeding cynicism, polarization, and institutional decay. Drawing on evolutionary psychology, behavioral science, and contemporary case studies, he distinguishes between common standards hypocrisy and the more corrosive double standards that undermine fairness itself. He explores how social media amplifies moralistic aggression, how public signaling can both distort and reshape behavior, and why tolerating certain forms of inconsistency may be necessary for leadership and democratic compromise. Rather than excusing deception, Michael calls for sharper discernment: identifying which inconsistencies cause real harm and which reflect the unavoidable trade-offs of human life. Grounded in rigorous scholarship yet strikingly practical, his work urges greater self-reflection, empathy and intellectual humility in a culture quick to condemn. Enjoy the conversation… Running time: 55:05. Hello from beautiful Montreal. Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts . Listen and subscribe over at Spotify . Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Thinking With Mitch Joel . Feel free to connect to me directly on LinkedIn . Check out ThinkersOne . Here is my conversation with Michael Hallsworth . The Hypocrisy Trap - How Changing What We Criticize Can Improve Our Lives . Behavioral Insights Team . Michael's Substack, The Judgement Gap . Follow Michael on LinkedIn . Chapters: (00:00) - Introduction to Hypocrisy. (02:46) - Understanding the Nature of Hypocrisy. (05:49) - The Cultural and Historical Context of Hypocrisy. (08:51) - The Evolutionary Roots of Hypocrisy. (11:50) - The Role of Hypocrisy in Politics. (14:43) - Hypocrisy in Business and Society. (17:57) - The Hypocrisy Trap Explained. (20:56) - The Balance of Hypocrisy and Honesty. (23:41) - The Emotional Impact of Hypocrisy. (26:36) - Empathy and Self-Reflection in Hypocrisy. (31:32) - Understanding Hypocrisy and Its Implications. (36:16) - The Role of Social Media in Hypocrisy.

Michael Hallsworth, is Chief Behavioral Scientist at The Behavioral Insights team. For the last 20 years he has been an official and an advisor for governments around the world. The author of The Hypocrisy Trap and coauthor of Behavioral Insights , he built a 250-person consultancy business and has held positions at Princeton University, Columbia University, Imperial College London, and the University of Pennsylvania. Send us Fan Mail 🔹 Follow us on LinkedIn: besci-io 🔸 Join our BeSci community on Slack: besciio-public.slack.com ♦️ Enhance your career and knowledge of applied behavioral science with our courses: learnappliedbesci.com

We’ve all rolled our eyes at someone's behavior, only to realize, uncomfortably, that we’ve done the same. Join Yael in this conversation discussing this very common human experience with Michael Hallsworth , the author of The Hypocrisy Trap . Michael breaks down the nature of hypocrisy, including its historical origin and why it is such a prevalent issue in our lives and in politics. You’ll also hear how societal norms and personal biases can play into our confrontations with hypocrisy and take away effective strategies to minimize it in your daily interactions. Check it out if you want a new take on this age-old problem and why understanding it can lead to more authentic and trusting relationships. Listen and Learn: Understanding hypocrisy as a judgment we make about inconsistencies The surprising origin of the word “hypocrite” and how its meaning evolved Why hypocrisy isn’t always bad and how to balance consistency and context in our actions How calling out hypocrisy can backfire, creating more of it, and making the term lose meaning, while revealing surprising insights about human behavior Why we’re often blind to our own double standards in relationships and how our perception of intentions gives us more leniency for ourselves than for others Why a level of hypocrisy is inevitable in democratic politics Is tolerating some political and personal hypocrisy necessary, even when it feels uncomfortable to do so? Strategies to understand, reduce, and respond to hypocrisy, and learning why shifting how we view inconsistency can lead to less cynicism and more meaningful change Resources Michael’s Website: https://www.michaelhallsworth.com/ The Hypocrisy Trap: How Changing What We Criticize Can Improve Our Lives on Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/30734/9780262050944 The Hypocrisy Trap on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hypocrisy-Trap-Changing-Criticize-Improve Practical Wisdom by Kenneth Sharpe and Barry Schwartz: https://bookshop.org/a/30734/9781594485435 About Michael Hallsworth Dr. Michael Hallsworth , author of The Hypocrisy Trap . Michael has spent two decades applying behavioral science to real-world problems, teaching at places like UPenn, Princeton, and Columbia. And he's taken all that academic knowhow to help design better policies and services for governments and organizations around the world. Related Episodes: Episode 48. Practical Wisdom Ep

In this episode of The Brainy Business podcast, host Melina Palmer welcomes Dr. Michael Hallsworth, a co-author of Behavioral Insights and a key figure in applying behavioral science to public policy. Dr. Hallsworth shares fascinating anecdotes from his extensive work, highlighting projects such as reducing antibiotic prescriptions in the UK and influencing food consumption habits to combat obesity. The discussion delves into the evolution of his team's approach, tackling bigger policy issues like economic mobility and social justice with support from major foundations. Lessons from both successful and unsuccessful trials are explored, underscoring the importance of sharing outcomes to refine interventions. Dr. Hallsworth also touches on the nuances of replicating behavioral strategies across different countries and contexts, emphasizing the need for a deep understanding of specific problems before proposing solutions. This episode is a treasure trove for anyone interested in how small nudges can lead to significant societal shifts and is packed with real-world applications of behavioral economics. In this episode: Maximize Business Impact: Harness the Power of Behavioral Insights in Decision-Making. Policy Design Precision: Unleashing the Impact of Behavioral Economics in Policy Formation. Optimize Antibiotic Prescribing: Strategies for Effective and Efficient Antibiotic Use. Elevate Economic Mobility: Leveraging Behavioral Insights for Greater Social Mobility. Health Impact Strategies: Designing Effective Sugar Drinks Tax for Public Health. Show Notes: 00:00:00 - Introduction The episode introduces Dr. Michael Hallsworth, managing director of the Behavioral Insights team, and his journey into behavioral science. He discusses the institute for government and the development of mindspace as a framework for applying behavioral science in practice. 00:06:48 - Flagship Project - Antibiotic Prescribing Michael shares a flagship project on antibiotic prescribing in the UK. By identifying prescribers who were outliers and sending them letters based on social norms, there was a substantial decline in antibiotic prescribing, equivalent to around 1% of England's total. This approach had a comparable effect to a massive financial incentive program, showing the effectiveness of alternative methods. 00:10:33 - Generalizability of Behavioral Insights The conversation delves into the generalizability of behavioral insights across different contexts. Michael emphasizes the complexity of generalizability, highlighting examples where similar interventions have had comparable results in different countries, while also acknowledging instances where interventions haven't worked as expected. 00:13:12 - Importance of Testing The discussion underscores the importance of rigorous testing and questioning the transferability of behavioral insights. Michael emphasizes the need for ongoing testing and the productive tension between retaining active ingredients that work and adapting interventions to different contexts. 00:14:02 - Applying Behavioral Insights Michael outlines a ten-step process for applying behavioral insights, emphasizing the importance of identifying the behavior in question, understanding the context, and diagnosing the underlying problem. 00:15:38 - The Behavioral Change Process Michael explains the common stages in behavioral change frameworks, from identifying factors to developing interventions and scaling the results. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the overall context and distinguishing between strategic and tactical use of behavioral science. 00:17:26 - Policy Impact of Behavioral Science Michael discusses the strategic and tactica

In this episode, behavioral science experts Michael Hallsworth and Scott Young of The Behavioural Insights Team discuss why it's important for organizations to examine their operational frameworks and systems, in order to better assess how established processes and environments may be impacting the work of their employees. They also share recommendations for reducing overconfidence bias, overcoming entrenched ways of thinking, and fostering a culture of transparency.

What lies ahead for applied behavioral science? How can we learn from the massive growth in the field over the last 15 years? Our guest, Michael Hallsworth, has very recently published a manifesto on the future of behavioural science and we’re privileged to discuss this landmark publication with him on this episode. Dr Michael Hallsworth PhD has been on the forefront of thought leadership and scholarship in behavioral science for many years. Having earned his PhD in Behavioural Economics from Imperial College in London, he has since spent most of his career working in either public policy or on corporate applications around the world. He is now the Managing Director, North America for the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT). Stemming from the original Behavioural Insights Team formed at the heart of the UK government in 2010, BIT has grown into a global company, driving positive change in communities and organizations all across the world. Having grown international teams, demonstrated workable behavioral results and shaken up policies around the world, Michael felt it was a good time for BIT to reflect on how far they had come. In the Manifesto for Applying Behavioural Science , Michael lays out 10 proposals that chart the path forward for behavioral science. We touch on these proposals in our discussion with Michael and the opportunities they present for the future. * Behavioral science is a global field but unfortunately the spelling is not! In an effort to be diplomatic, we are using both spellings in the show notes! Topics (4:54) Why does behavioural science need a manifesto? (7:18) What are some of the major themes? (11:15) How Michael is flipping the prospective on scaling. (16:37) Using behavioral science as a lens. (21:33) Putting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in their place. (26:02) Choice infrastructure. (30:25) The vulnerability of behavioral science to overconfidence. (35:09) Reframing our language away from rational vs irrational behavior. (39:25) Using algorithms to reduce inequities rather than exploit vulnerabilities. (47:28) Grooving Session with Kurt and Tim on applying behavioral science. © 2023 Behavioral Grooves Links Manifesto for Applying Behavioural Science: https://www.bi.team/publications/a-manifesto-for-applying-behavioral-science/ Misconceptions about the Practice of Behavioral Public Policy: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4328659 EAST Model: https://www.bi.team/publications/east-four-simple-ways-to-apply-behavioural-insights/ Mindscape Framework: https://thedecisionlab.com/reference-guide/neuroscience/mindspace-framework Ruth Schmidt, Zeya Chen, Veronica Paz Soldan (2022) Choice Posture, Architecture, and Infrastructure: Systemic Behavioral Design for Public Health Policy: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405872622000661 Ruth Schmidt & Katelyn Stenger (2021). Behavioral brittleness: The case for strategic behavioral public policy: https://www.cambridge.org/core/

In today's conversation, I am joined by Michael Hallsworth, managing director for the Americas division of the Behavioral Insights Team, or BIT. Michael was on the show nearly two years ago in episode 125 when he was sharing about his book which is aptly named Behavioral Insights . The reason he is here today is to talk about a debate that has been going on across the behavioral science community for the bulk of this year: "Do nudges work?" Michael wrote an article recently in Behavioral Scientist which laid out all the points in a very clear way and talked about the real question we should be asking (as well as the next steps for the field in the future). I knew he was the perfect guest to come on and speak about this. He does a great job summarizing everything here and I hope you get value from this conversation. It can be hard to look at ourselves, the fields we are in, or ourselves personally, and embrace opportunities for improvement. But, it is so necessary in order to grow, change and thrive. The field is built on solid science, and we have an opportunity to do even more going forward. Listen in to hear all of our thoughts on this hot topic. Show Notes: [00:42] In today's conversation, I am joined by Dr. Michael Hallsworth, managing director for the Americas division of the Behavioral Insights Team. He was on the show nearly two years ago. [02:37] It can be hard to look at ourselves, the fields we are in, or ourselves personally, and embrace opportunities for improvement. But, it is so necessary in order to grow, change and thrive. [05:00] Michael shares about himself and his background in behavioral science. [06:56] Nudges guide people to decide while maintaining their freedom of choice. [08:26] Publication bias is a problem that affects many disciplines (not just behavioral science) in the scientific literature. [11:19] Singular data points are not generalizable in other contexts. Context and testing are key. [13:22] First we need to understand what is a realistic effect size for some of these interventions and can we get a better understanding of how context affects results. [15:42] A missing piece of this debate around if nudges do or don't work is looking at some work that is not affected by publication bias. [16:59] We do have evidence for the real-world effects of nudging that are not affected by publication bias. Those effects are smaller than the ones in the original study but they are still meaningful. [19:06] Human behavior is complex. Results vary by context and group. [21:21] There are factors going into a result that are meaningful which may mean that something doesn't work in a different situation. [22:56] Instead of making overall claims we should be talking about some of these ideas a bit like scientists have talked about incentives. [23:53] We don't need to oversimplify or oversell because the results are there but they vary in ways we don't understand (yet). [25:34] Moving forward we can run multi-size studies so we can explore these differences more systematically. [27:42] When you take your results together, you should be able to see which idea is more supported. [29:49] They found that if you thought something was more context-dependent those studies were less likely to replicate success. [31:35] It's not about what you know. It is about how you match it to context to produce a result. [33:56] Behavioral Science "in the wild" is different from behavioral science in the lab. [35:07] Within organizations it can be really hard to start tracing the threads between studies and looking into the connections. [37:11] Michael shares about his upcoming manifesto. [39:20] The overriding question he discusses in the manifesto is "How do we help behavioral science tackle some of t

In today's episode, I'm excited to introduce you to Dr. Michael Hallsworth, managing director at Behavioral Insights Team North America and co-author of the new book, Behavioral Insights. Before that, he led their global work on health and tax for five years. Michael was previously a Senior Policy Advisor in the Cabinet Office of the UK government and has in-depth experience in both policy development and service delivery for national governments and international organizations. He has also been a leading figure in developing the field of applying behavioral science to government, having authored several influential frameworks such as EAST, Behavioral Government, and the MINDSPACE report (which has been cited more than 800 times to date). His work has been published in The Lancet, the Journal of Public Economics, Nature Human Behaviour, and more. His new book, Behavioral Insights, which was co-authored with Elspeth Kirkman and published by the MIT Press, was released in September. When you get yours, if you opt for the physical version, you'll see it's this adorable little pocket-sized version of a book. A little smaller than most these days and it has really great full-bleed callout pages. Michael has worked on so many amazing projects over the years, I'm honored he is sharing some of them with us today--and some great tips for approaching your own research and testing, based on their book Behavioral Insights . Show Notes: [00:46] Today I'm excited to introduce you to Dr. Michael Hallsworth, managing director at Behavioral Insights Team North America. [03:48] About ten years ago Michael started working in an organization that was all about how you apply evidence to improve the way government works. [05:43] The Behavioral Insights Team includes 200 people across the world including Sydney, Paris, New York, and Toronto. They take behavioral science and try to improve the way policies and services are designed and the way government works. [07:51] Michael shares a project he is really proud of that relates to antibiotics prescribing in the UK. [09:35] They found a 1% decline in antibiotic prescribing at the end just by sending a letter from England's Chief Medical Officer and giving information based on social norms. [10:29] In Australia, they built on the antibiotic project. Bec Weeks shared about this in her interview on the show (episode 119). It has also been done in Italy and other countries as well. [12:21] On Generalizability: They have seen studies with surprisingly similar results, but that isn't always the case. [13:36] The key is trying to have that productive tension between retaining the active ingredient that worked, but adapting it so it continues to work elsewhere. [14:36] Testing is very important. We may see something that works across the board, but we still should be questioning it and looking at what is different in other scenarios. [16:01] Most of the frameworks they share in the book have some aspects in common around identifying the goals and behavior upfront and then going deeper to understand what is happening. [16:59] Then they try to come up with interventions that attempt to address the factors you have seen. Then you should do the implementation and testing of those solutions or interventions. [17:19] Rather than just stopping at the result phase, ask "How might we take this result and help it be used elsewhere?" [18:37] The ten-stage framework in the book takes you through all these different steps