Reduce friction on desired behaviors

Make the healthy choice two fewer steps than the unhealthy one.

Why it works

Every extra step in a behavior chain is a decision point where the chain can break. The principle of least effort means small increases in friction compound into large drops in behavior frequency. Reducing friction works on the same mechanism as increasing motivation — it shifts the energy balance of the choice — but without depending on willpower.

How to do it

1. Pick a behavior you reliably skip and count how many steps it takes to start.
2. Eliminate or pre-complete as many steps as possible (pre-chop vegetables, leave running shoes by the door, keep a book on the pillow).
3. Then add friction to competing behaviors — log out of time-wasting sites, use a separate device for work only.

Evidence

Friction reduction has strong empirical support from cafeteria redesign studies, website conversion research, and real-world policy experiments. Small changes in step count or effort reliably predict large changes in choice frequency. (observational)

Some cafeteria nudge findings (including some Wansink-attributed studies) have faced replication concerns. The underlying friction mechanism is well-supported; specific effect sizes from any single study should be taken cautiously.

Sources

• Wansink & Hanks (2013), "Slim by design: Serving healthy foods first in line", Obesity

Common mistake

Reducing friction on only one behavior while leaving competing behaviors equally accessible — the relative friction between alternatives is what matters, not absolute steps.