"The Power of a Public Commitment Device:" Steve Martin on Five Years of GAABS

The former Board Chair and Influence at Work founder reflects on the origins of the world’s leading association for applied behavioural scientists — and where the field is heading next.

Steve Martin needs little introduction to anyone working in the behavioural sciences. Co-author of the global bestseller Yes! and a behavioural science professional trained by Robert Cialdini, he has spent more than two decades applying the principles of social influence to some of the world’s most intractable people problems.

But his role in founding GAABS — the Global Association of Applied Behavioural Scientists — is perhaps less well known. We sat down with him to hear the story of how the organisation came to be, what its early years were really like, and why he believes the field of behavioural science is on the cusp of a significant second wind.

When people hear ‘co-design,’ they sometimes picture a friendly workshop and a wall of sticky notes. That can be part of it, but co-design is more specific, it’s a structured way of making decisions about services with the people who use and run them.

The promise is better ideas grounded in real experience. The challenge is that group dynamics can quietly distort what the group ‘decides,’ which is why how we facilitate co-design matters as much as who is in the room.

Just a few short days ago, GAABS welcomed Katy Milkman, host of the popular podcast "Choiceology" for a special webinar. The reason … to take a deep dive into what makes Katy’s podcast, sponsored by Charles Schwab, so impactful – it’s a two-time GAABS award-winner and has won awards for edutainment as well from other organisations.  

New GAABS Board Chair, Torben Emmerling interviewed Katie about her approach to science communication, how she balances academic research with public engagement, and the production process behind "Choiceology." They discussed the podcast's successful format of combining storytelling with scientific insights, cultural considerations in content creation, and the challenges of translating academic research into practical applications.