Halpern et al. ended up demonstrating the importance of loss aversion in two different ways. The more obvious is that smokers are far more likely to quit if they stand to lose money if they fail. The more subtle is that the very prospect of incurring losses makes people far less willing to enter a smoking-cessation program. Despite the greater comparative effectiveness of the deposit program, the reward program is likely to be more successful, because far more people will sign up for it.

Our analysis suggests that TED talks succeed in disseminating ideas and sparking public interest. At the same time, they reflect institutionalized, corporatized modes of mass communication rooted in elitist discourses and practices. Contrary to popular perceptions, we therefore conclude that while TED talks are an effective vehicle for information dissemination, they are an unlikely catalyst for social change.

Strategies for Enhancing Health in the Built Environment

Mental contrasting is essentially contrasting your happy, dream goal with your current reality, emphasizing the need for action, while implementation intentions are "if-then" statements about how you will deal with obstacles. The link goes to a journal article in which this combined technique was used to help women become more physically active, and the effect was sustained over months.

Brilliant commercial and faux website from Humane Society

Great example of sales/marketing methods to learn from

Thinking about far-off events in terms of days, it turned out, did make a person more able to feel for his or her future self—a self who has, after all, the same wants and needs.