The Fun Theory

Posted at 1:42 PM on October 19, 2009 by Bob Collins
Filed under: Life, Science

Forgetting for a moment that it's partly a marketing gimmick by Volkswagon, The Fun Theory Web site is offering an interesting perspective on behavior. If things are fun, people will do it.

That was the theory many years ago behind Select A Candidate on the MPR Web site. Give people a little fun -- at that time online quizzes were fairly unique -- and if they become informed voters, so much the better.

The Fun Theory is being used to get people to recycle:

Or take the stairs:

or throw stuff in the trash:

(h/t: Ken Paulman)

There are any number of behaviors to encourage -- voting, or washing hands, for example. It's the how-to-make-it-fun part that's missing.

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