One example of that metaphorical gap is our tendency to invest money in things we consider valuable. When we invest in that slightly larger house, that new electric bike or the pair of designer shoes, we are a little closer to the ideal image we have of ourselves - and our ideal self is certainly happy. But according to behavioral science, even if they bring us closer to our own ideal, these kinds of investments are not sustainable ways to increase our happiness. This may not be very surprising; after all, money doesn't make you happy (but a lack of it can make you unhappy). What's surprising is that the ways to increase our happiness often goes against our brain's instincts or what most of us have learned from our parents. For example, research by Elizabeth Dunn and colleagues shows that investing in experiences leads to relatively sustainable feelings of happiness, and that spending money on others makes you happy longer than spending money on yourself. Buying tickets for a concert therefore appears to be an investment for more than one evening, and treating your friends to a round of beer (or tea) is not only good for your image, but also for your well-being.
What is the role of design in this paradox? By using both social design and behavioral design, we can combine the best of both worlds to promote well-being. Social design focuses on improving systems by analysing them together with human needs and, based on that, designing for social change. On the other hand, behavioral design looks at how people make decisions and how they can be influenced for positive behavioral outcomes.
If not only the systems themselves become more focused on people's well-being, but also the behavior of people within those systems, we will increase the possible social impact. For example, with the help of behavioral science, we can help people to help themselves even better, by making decisions that make them more sustainable, inclusive, healthier and happier.
The key question: What would the world look like if we made more frequent decisions that have been proven to improve individual and collective well-being? Or actually, the real question is: How can we design for this?
