Quote
“A nudge, as we will use the term, is any aspect of the choice architecture that alters people's behavior in a predictable way without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives.”— Richard H. Thaler & Cass R. Sunstein, in Nudge (2008) · Nudge →
Why it was said
Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein define their term in the introduction, right after the cafeteria example in which moving the fruit to eye level changed what children ate without banning anything.
What it actually means
The definition draws a line that the rest of the book walks: a nudge changes behaviour through how choices are presented, not through rules or prices. The default, the order, the friction, the feedback. Because every choice must be presented somehow, there is no neutral design, and the sentence quietly makes everyone who designs a form, a menu or a policy a choice architect whether they meant to be or not.
How to use it
- 1For any choice you face this week, ask what the default is, who set it, and what they gain if you take it.
- 2For a decision you make repeatedly, set your own default the way you would choose on your best day.