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Creating Exercise Habits Using Incentives: The Tradeoff between Flexibility and Routinization.
John Beshears1, Hae Nim Lee2, Katherine L Milkman2
1Harvard Business School.
Management Science
|January 10, 2022
Summary
Routine-based exercise incentives were less effective than flexible incentives, leading to fewer gym visits and a greater decline in exercise post-intervention. This highlights the importance of flexibility in habit formation strategies.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Science
- Psychology of Habit Formation
Background:
- Habits are defined as regular, cue-triggered routines.
- Understanding how to foster persistent behaviors like exercise is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of routine-based versus flexible incentives on exercise persistence.
- To investigate the long-term impact of different incentive structures on habit formation.
Main Methods:
- A field experiment was conducted with participants incentivized for gym visits.
- Two groups received different incentive structures: routine-based (fixed time window) and flexible (anytime).
- Exercise frequency was monitored during and after the intervention period.
Main Results:
- Routine incentives resulted in fewer gym visits compared to flexible incentives, both during and after the intervention.
- Participants receiving routine incentives showed a more significant decrease in exercise post-intervention.
- Even when initial exercise rates were similar, routine incentives led to less sustained behavior.
Conclusions:
- Flexible incentives are more effective than routine-based incentives for promoting persistent exercise habits.
- Strict timing requirements in habit formation interventions may hinder long-term adherence.
- Future habit-formation strategies should consider incorporating flexibility to enhance sustainability.
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