Integrating Systems Thinking and Behavioural Science

Abstract

Traditional approaches to changing health behaviours have primarily focused on education and raising awareness, assuming that increased knowledge leads to better decisions. However, evidence suggests these methods often fail to result in sustained behavioural change. The dual-process theory of decision-making highlights that much of our behaviour is driven by automatic, intuitive processes, which educational interventions typically overlook. Compounding this challenge, behavioural research is often conducted on small groups, making it difficult to scale insights into broader societal issues, where behaviour is influenced by complex, interconnected factors. This review advocates for integrating behavioural science with systems approaches (including systems thinking and approaches to complex adaptive systems) as a more effective approach to resolving complex societal issues, such as public health, sustainability, and social equity. Behavioural science provides insights into individual decision-making, while systems approaches offer ways of understanding, and working with, the dynamic interactions and feedback loops within complex systems. The review explores the commonalities and differences between these two approaches, highlighting areas where they complement one another. Design thinking is identified as a useful structure for bridging behavioural science and systems thinking, enabling a more holistic approach to problem-solving. Though some ideological challenges remain, the potential for creating more effective, scalable solutions is significant. By leveraging the strengths of both behavioural science and systems thinking, one can create more comprehensive strategies to address the "wicked problems" that shape societal health and well-being.

Keywords: behaviour; change; complexity; design thinking; dual-process; multidisciplinary; nudge; public health; systems.

Figure 1

WHO non-communicable disease report: multiple layers of complexity. [This work is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO licence (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo accessed on 31 January 2025)].

Figure 2

Foresight Obesity Map 2017.

Figure 3

Adapted from https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/our-resources/framework-for-innovation/ Creative commons licence (CC BY 4.0 license accessed on 31 January 2025).

Figure 4

How forcefully to intervene. Adapted from “What role do taxes and regulation play in promoting better health? Licenced by The King’s Fund under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 and accessed on 31 January 2025. https://assets.kingsfund.org.uk/f/256914/x/5016d2a134/what_role_do_taxes_regulation_play_better_health_2020.pdf.

Figure 5

Integrating behavioural science and systems thinking through a design thinking structure.

Figure 6

Adapted from Gould et al. (2024) Behavioral Sciences.