Choice architecture

In the August NZ Healthy Food Guide there is a discussion about ‘choice architecture’ (Thaler & Sunstain, Nudge) and how the strategy can be used to improve areas such as health, wealth and happiness. The idea is that by making the best option the simplest option or the default option we tend to choose it more readily. We definitely have found ‘choice architecture’ works when it comes to avoiding takeaways as much as we can over the last eight months. By having our meals planned ahead with the ingredients already bought and meat taken out to defrost the night before it makes the simplest option cooking which we therefore choose even when we are tired or busy. When meals aren’t planned or ingredients are missing then the simplest option becomes takeaways.