Julie Downs, PhD is an associate professor of psychology in the Social and Decision Sciences department at Carnegie Mellon’s Dietrich College and fits perfectly into the cross-disciplinary culture of the group. Her interests have spanned anthropology to healthcare to economics and her zest for each of them is undeniable.
Our discussion with Julie started with some of her latest research on how to help women make the proper vaginal insertion of an HIV-prevention drug. While scientists at the University of Pittsburgh are developing the medicine, Julie is focused on the behavioral aspects including the proper way to apply it because the efficacy of the drug relies on proper application. The drug is extremely low-cost, doesn’t require refrigeration, and can be kept private in otherwise touchy situations with sexual partners.
We also discussed making decisions in an increasingly complex world of what to eat. Fast food is readily available, it’s cheap and easy to acquire for working parents with a hungry family. However, recent research on fast food consumption reveals the calorie counters on the food menus are not having a positive effect on what gets ordered. Julie is working to figure out solutions that make the calorie counts salient with an online ordering app.
In our grooving session, we chat about the concept of friction and how that applies to product development and communications AND we talk about insights we can take from a food ordering app that has a special calorie counter built into it and use those insights in our work.
So, sit back and enjoy another episode in our Carnegie Mellon series with professor Julie Downs.
Links
Julie Downs: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/sds/people/faculty/julie-downs.html
Carnegie Mellon University: https://www.cmu.edu/
CMU Social and Decision Sciences Department: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/
Truvada: https://www.truvada.com/
Fleshlight. https://www.fleshlight.com/
Sahel Desert: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahel
Satisficing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satisficing
The Beatles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles
Louie Prima / Jungle Book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV8HrpOu1FA
Ella Fitzgerald: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2bigf337aU
Queen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A22oy8dFjqc
Hamilton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvBYOBTkDRk
Kurt Nelson: @motivationguru and https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtwnelson/
Tim Houlihan: @THoulihan and https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-houlihan-b-e/
Listen to Behavioral Grooves: https://behavioralgrooves.podbean.com/
Our Quest to Feel Significant And How It Affects Our Behavior | Arie Kruglanski PhD
How Best to Create a Culture of Learning | Sarah Nicholl
Imperfectly Perfect: The Science of Human Decision Making | Lionel Page
Want To Make Tomorrow Better? Get To Know Your Future Self Today | Hal Hershfield
Money, Success and the Cult of Never Enough | Manisha Thakor
All The Ways Into Behavioral Science (And No, You Don’t Need a PhD) | Merle Van Den Akker
Confidence, Certainty and Control: The Map to Success | Peter Atwater
The Psychology of Scams: Why We Fall for Fraud and How to Protect Yourself | Daniel Simons & Christopher Chabris
People Want Answers: How to Communicate in a Crisis with Christopher Reddy
The Value of an Open Mind and How To Overcome Knowingness | Jonathan Malesic
Feeling Stuck? Steps To Get Out Of Your Rut And How Music Helps | Adam Alter
Are You A People Pleaser? Learn To Say No More with Vanessa Patrick PhD
What Do You Think? How To Improve Your Perspective And Your Life | Woo-Kyoung Ahn PhD
How We’re Missing The Point With The Gender Pay Gap | Alex Imas PhD
Want People To Comply With Rules? Start With Trust | Christian Hunt
Grooving on Goals: The Magic of Goals [Republish: Episode 27]
Groove Track | Why It Takes More Than Willpower To Reach Your Goals
Why Random Rewards Feel So Much Better Than Earned Ones with Richard Shotton
Want Marketing That’s Effective? Use a Behavioral Science Perspective | Nancy Harhut
Can Psychology Tell Us What Makes A Good Life? With Paul Bloom, Part 2
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Poetry of Science
Hidden Brain
The Science of Happiness
The Psychology Podcast
Choiceology with Katy Milkman