Behaviour rides on feeling.
If the vibe is off, people stall.
If it’s too shiny, they speed in without thinking.

Think on:

The dentists chair
Most people have a negative attitude towards the dentist. So they avoid booking until there’s a real problem.
vs
Risky business deals
Belief in leadership is great... until that beliefs masks the very risky deals they are making.

“If we say the action out loud, do they roll their eyes, or click before you finish?”

Eye-roll = resistance.
Eager grin = may ignore risk.

What to do

Behaviour Kit – Strategy Selector

What you’ll notice

  • Snarky comments
  • Low uptake
  • “Why bother?” talk

Why it happens

Benefits feel distant or imposed, so people distrust the ask and disengage.

Select a strategy to reveal tactics:

Re-anchor benefits in their terms.

Highlight peers who thrive with the action.

What you’ll notice

  • Users skip instructions
  • Risky clicks
  • Surprise errors later

Why it happens

Blind optimism downplays risk and inflates confidence, so safeguards get bypassed.

Select a strategy to reveal tactics:

Brief pause, double-check, or risk reminder.

Surface immediate outcomes so optimism stays reality-checked.

Why it matters

Most behaviour starts with a gut check:
“How do I feel about this?”

That’s attitude in action and it’s a powerful behavioural filter.

Psychologists define attitude as a mental shortcut made up of three things:

  • What you think about something
  • How you feel about it
  • What you're likely to do as a result

In practice?

  • A negative attitude inflates risk and kills motivation.
  • A positive attitude can boost action... but if it’s too positive, people stop questioning and skip important steps.

This is tied to how we evaluate cost and reward.
Negative attitude = even small tasks feel annoying or suspicious
Over-positive attitude = blind optimism, missed risks, faster errors

Attitude is the lens we look through before we act.
If the lens is foggy, tinted, or cracked then behaviour skews.

That’s why calibrating attitude matters.
You’re not just getting people to act, you're shaping how they feel about the action before they start.

The science bit

Behaviour Resources

Theory of Planned Behavior

Attitude, perceived control, and social pressure shape intention and intention drives action.

→ Good attitude + low control = no follow-through.

Attitude Strength

Strong attitudes (good or bad) are harder to shift and more likely to steer behaviour.

→ Weak attitudes wobble. Strong ones stick.

The Affect Heuristic

When something feels good we see less risk; when it feels bad we inflate danger.

→ Attitude colours judgement, not just emotion.

The Optimism Bias

People expect the best, underestimate risks, and overestimate outcomes, especially when excited.

→ Positive attitudes need friction too.
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