What is a commitment device?

Three thousand years ago, Odysseus tied himself to a mast to resist the Sirens. 

He didn't trust his willpower, so he removed the choice entirely. 

Today, Owain Service, co-founder of the Behavioural Insights Team and CEO at CogCo, calls that a commitment device. 

And modern evidence shows it works for everything from saving money to staying married.

---

Owain’s book: https://amzn.to/4smVtrP 

Owain’s company CogCo: https://cogco.co/ 

Unlock the Nudge Vaults: ⁠https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults⁠

Join 11,626 readers of my newsletter: ⁠https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list ⁠

Connect on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/⁠

---

Today’s sources: 

Asch, S. E. (1951). Effects of group pressure upon the modification and distortion of judgment. In H. Guetzkow (Ed.), Groups, leadership and men (pp. 177–190). Carnegie Press.

Ashraf, N., Karlan, D., & Yin, W. (2006). Tying Odysseus to the mast: Evidence from a commitment savings product in the Philippines. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 121(2), 635–672.

Behavioural Insights Team. (2013). New BIT trial results: helping people back into work. https://www.bi.team/blogs/new-bit-trial-results-helping-people-back-into-work/

Gollwitzer, P. M., & Brandstätter, V. (1997). Implementation intentions and effective goal pursuit. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73(1), 186–199.

Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119.

Milkman, K. (2021). How to change: The science of getting from where you are to where you want to be. Portfolio/Penguin.

Olson, R. (2014, October 10). What makes for a stable marriage. http://www.randalolson.com/2014/10/10/what-makes-for-a-stable-marriage/

Read, D., Loewenstein, G., & Kalyanaraman, S. (1999). Mixing virtue and vice: Combining the immediacy effect and the diversification heuristic. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 12(4), 257–273.

Service, O., & Gallagher, R. (2017). Think small: The surprisingly simple ways to reach big goals. Michael O'Mara Books.