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False Positives and False Certainties of Covid-19 Test Results

False Positives and False Certainties of Covid-19 Test Results

Imagine that you have recently been asked to take a Covid-19 test – maybe you are a resident of Lambeth, a school pupil, or about to travel abroad. You receive a message with your results, which reads as follows: ‘Your recent coronavirus test has come back positive’. Take a moment to consider how you would […]

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How Our Existing Beliefs About Vaccines Lead Us To Misinterpret New Information

How Our Existing Beliefs About Vaccines Lead Us To Misinterpret New Information

As Covid vaccines have continued to be rolled out across the world, ‘vaccine hesitancy’ has become the subject of growing media interest. In some countries, surveys show a remarkable reduction in vaccine hesitancy. A recent survey of the UK population shows that 93% of people would accept a vaccine in the UK, up from 78% […]

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Understanding the Lockdown Time Warp

Understanding the Lockdown Time Warp

What would you say if someone asked you how long it has been since the start of lockdown in the UK? After a bit of head scratching, you would likely arrive at the objectively correct answer. But what if you were asked how long it has felt like since the start of lockdown? That’s a […]

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Do We Need Cities in a Country of Remote Workers?

Do We Need Cities in a Country of Remote Workers?

Recently there have been several reports about people moving out of cities and into the countryside. This apparent urban exodus, prompted in part by the mass move to online working, raises two questions: What are cities for? And can their function be replicated by people working and living remotely? Researchers from a wide range of […]

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New Year’s Resolutions: Three Tips to Make them Stick

New Year’s Resolutions: Three Tips to Make them Stick

On New Year’s Day, many of us will be waking up with a heavy head from the night before and thinking about what the year ahead may hold. We might well imagine that the coming year – after everything that has happened in 2020 – will be different. This will be the year that we […]

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The Ham Sandwich Fallacy (and How to Avoid it)

The Ham Sandwich Fallacy (and How to Avoid it)

Imagine it’s April 2021 and you’re considering your lunch options: should you go to your favourite sandwich shop, or try somewhere new? You decide to play it safe and head to the usual spot. Upon arrival, a similar dilemma awaits: order the ham sandwich as always, or venture into uncharted menu territory? When you think […]

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Three Principles for Boosting Vaccine Uptake

Three Principles for Boosting Vaccine Uptake

From the very beginning of the Covid outbreak in the UK, behavioural scientists have played a key role in helping the government to think about how to encourage citizens to comply with regulations relating to social distancing, mask-wearing, and self-isolating. While some legal penalties have been introduced for non-compliance, the effectiveness of these measures has […]

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