How To Influence Behavior

If you’re the owner of a restaurant and want people to not eat any of the food, how would you do it?

The instinctual response is to simply make a rule saying “No employee sampling” and punish anyone who is caught eating food.

But then people get satisfaction in doing what others say they can’t.

People get the joy of eating the food along with the little thrill that they might get caught.

So maybe the opposite approach would work – unlimited free food for employees while working.

It’s paradoxical s...