Together, We Make Better Decisions

For advocates of population health, its often difficult to get an audience to see in the same scale (e.g. long-term consequences of unequal societies) when discussing health. More specifically, it is difficult for some to grasp that something good for society will ultimately be good for oneself. Environmental advocates deal with the same problem (often with the same implications)!

A New York Times Magazine article entitled, "Why Isn't the Brain Green?" describes what some social and behavioral researchers have discovered about the way people think and make decisions (arguably a "rediscovery" of things we used to know before the advent of Modernity).

A key finding is when people discuss issues and come to a consensus as a group, they are more willing to take short-term sacrifices for long term gain. Also, being identified as a group and being physically located at the same table increases participation appreciably. Importantly, researchers acknowledge that there is no such thing as true preference. That is, information and perspectives presented as a group naturally affects what an individual values.

The article also discusses the principles of "frames" and "nudges" as tools to help guide people into making decisions that are in their best interest and in the best interest of the community. When queried about the potential coerciveness of these tools, in addition to the necessity of choice, researchers noted first:

“Remember when New York tried to enforce its jaywalking laws?” “You can’t enforce stuff that people don’t believe should be done.”

But more critically:
“I think you have to take it as a given that whatever we do, whether it’s what we currently do or what we plan to do, has some value judgment built into it.”

It is a large step to hear scientists acknowledging the limits of science in decision-making and realizing the essential need for broader human input. At the very least, when decisions are made they should reflect what is truly desired by the people. And, that, according to this and other research, is a good decision.