Beyond Nudging: Boosting and Self-Nudging for Behaviour Change
Editorial
Over the past decade, nudging has become a cornerstone of behavioural science. By subtly shaping choice architectures, nudges have proven effective in steering individuals towards healthier and more sustainable behaviours (Thaler & Sunstein, 2008). Systematic reviews highlight their success across various domains, including dietary behaviours and public health initiatives aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (Mertens et al., 2022; UN, 2023).
However, nudges have also faced criticism for their paternalistic nature as they influence behaviour without always fostering understanding or agency (Hertwig et al., 2025). Also, concerns have been raised about their (long-term) effectiveness and limited generalisability in diverse populations and settings (Maier et al., 2022; Szaszi et al., 2025).
In response to these limitations, alternative strategies have emerged to empower individuals and foster sustainable behaviour change: boosting and self-nudging (Hertwig & Grüne-Yanoff, 2017; Reijula & Hertwig, 2022). These approaches focus on enhancing individuals’ skills and autonomy, enabling them to make informed choices that align with their own long-term preferences and goals.
Three recent studies illustrate these strategies.
The first study (Banerjee et al., 2023) shows that prompting individuals to reflect on the sustainability of their food choices before being exposed to a nudge or boost leads to better dietary decisions in an online experiment. Specifically, the authors tested nudges (e.g., defaults), and boosts (e.g., “quick rules” and implementation intentions) designed to strengthen individuals’ ability to evaluate food choices in terms of sustainability. While the study also tested simple reflection prompts (“think”), the strongest effects emerged when these reflective elements were combined with nudges or competence-enhancing boosts, highlighting the importance of skill acquisition rather than reflection alone.
The second study (Michels et al., 2024) demonstrates the importance of increasing transparency in digital nudges. The intervention made the healthier option more salient while explicitly informing users about the presence and purpose of the nudge. The authors show that offering the nudge as a voluntary self-nudge, rather than as a preset default, led to comparable behavioural effects when combined with transparent information. Crucially, this ethical design—transparent and autonomy-preserving—did not reduce effectiveness, but instead represents a promising approach to supporting consumers in making online decisions in line with their preferences, while reinforcing trust and engagement with the platform.
The third study (van Rookhuijzen et al., 2023) explores self-nudging interventions to increase fruit consumption. Participants were invited to select and implement their own self-nudges, such as placing a fruit basket within sight, preparing fruit in advance, setting reminders, or positioning fruit in a clearly visible place in the refrigerator. While the intervention led to higher fruit intake during the study period, long-term habit formation was not conclusively observed. Nevertheless, the findings suggest that self-nudging could be a promising strategy to support habit formation, as it allows individuals to actively design choice architectures that fit their daily routines, thereby strengthening autonomy and behavioural ownership.
These studies underscore the potential of boosting and self-nudging as complementary strategies to traditional nudging. By focusing on enhancing skills, promoting reflection and agency, and increasing transparency, these approaches can empower individuals to make healthier and more sustainable behaviours.
Maria Almudena Claassen is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Adaptive Rationality at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. She examines food and drink choices, with a focus on how social context shapes behaviour and how boosting approaches can support healthier decisions.