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The limits of simple implementation intentions: Evidence from a field experiment on making plans to exercise
Mariana Carrera1, Heather Royer2, Mark Stehr3
1Case Western Reserve University, United States.
Journal of Health Economics
|October 19, 2018
Summary
Forming implementation intentions, or planning when and where to act, did not increase repeated gym attendance in a randomized study. This simple intervention showed a null effect on behavior, contrary to expectations for habit formation.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral science
- Psychology
- Health behavior
Background:
- Implementation intentions (planning when and where to act) effectively increase one-time health behaviors.
- The effectiveness of implementation intentions for promoting repeated behaviors remains less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of a simple, scalable planning intervention on a repeated behavior (gym attendance).
- To determine if implementation intentions enhance adherence to a regular exercise routine.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial with 877 participants at a private gym.
- Treatment group: selected planned gym attendance days/times for two weeks.
- Control group: recorded past exercise days over two weeks.
Main Results:
- The planning intervention demonstrated a tightly estimated null effect on gym attendance.
- No significant difference in behavior was observed between the planning and control groups.
- Participants believed planning was helpful and engaged with the process, yet it did not influence behavior.
Conclusions:
- A simple implementation intention intervention did not improve repeated exercise behavior.
- The findings contrast with previous research on one-time actions, suggesting planning's efficacy may differ for habitual behaviors.
- Further research is needed to understand the limitations of planning interventions for sustained behavior change.
Keywords:
Behavioral economicsExerciseHealth behaviorsImplementation intentionsNudgePhysical activityPlanningMore Related Videos
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