Economic restrictions imposed by the new type of coronavirus resulted economic crisis in many countries, and while some countries continue to maintain a quarantine regime, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that life may return to normal mode and economic restrictions may be eliminated step by step.

On the other hand, both Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan started to talk about the need for behavioral changes that will help us to adapt to the world of coronavirus.

"We know by heart all the steps to protect ourselves " you may say. Wash your hands, do not touch your face, keep social distance, disinfect even disinfectants, wear a mask and gloves if necessary…

Throughout months, we performed dances, wrote songs and even poems on this topic. It seems that everything possible has already been said and done, what we need is to apply everything in real life and finally return to our job. But can you reaffirm that these steps have become an integral part of your daily life? How many times a day you make automatic actions? For some people it may be a visit to the same cafe all the time, for others  to always put the bag on the same shelf, even the choice of clothes sometimes can be automated if you do not have a special reason to think about what to wear that day. Have you ever thought that you have developed those habits for yourself in order to free your brain from unnecessary burdens along with the burden of making endless decisions?

When we talk about "behavioral change," it's also about bringing the desired behavior into the realm of habits, yet we all know that changing habits or "creating" new ones is not easy. I think those who want to quit smoking or seriously make their minds to work out from Monday will understand.  In this case, both smoking and touching face are habits that must be changed or replaced, at least until the pandemic is over.

So, how to do that?

One of the ways to achieve the desired social behavior is to create so-called "nudges" (R.Thaler). Nudges are designed to facilitate decision-making and may gradually build new habits.

Let us suppose your organization joins one of the social programs to fight coronavirus, and it requires your participation. According to the logic of the use of nudges the management of the organization will automatically enroll the employees in the program letting them decide whether to do it or to opt out, so making easier the decision to participate in the program. 

Nudges can also be used effectively in public places such as in supermarkets or cafes. For instance, hand sanitziers can be put in a well-visible and easily accessible place in supermarkets, reminding us every time to buy them, or the footsteps to the WCs will also remind us of washing our hands.

However, there are a number of ethical issues related to use of nudges. Some people claim that creating a relevant environment for making a certain decision directly or indirectly influences the decision-making process. The question is, how fair is this to society? I think the acceptability of using this or that tool mostly depends on its purpose. The use of nudges may become a form of public consensus, when the right to free choice is ensured while creating atmosphere for desired social behavior. For example, the United Kingdom has applied “Nudge theory” from the very beginning of pandemic. This decision led to various controversial opinions, but it also raised the level of individual responsibility among the citizens.

By the way, nudges can be used not only by organizations, but also by our families. Ask one of your family members to clap every time you automatically touch your face. More creative or funny family members can turn this process into a real fun especially if there are small children at Home.

Nudges are only one of the strategies to ensure "behavioral change". Such approaches can be discussed and debated for a long time. However, one thing is clear: the effectiveness of any strategy depends on social responsibility of our citizens. I think in recent days, many of us have come to realize that life without society is quite boring.

Anzhela Kzhdryan is a lecturer at Yerevan State University and student of the Executive MBA program at the University of Sheffield.

These views are her own.