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PODCAST

Unlocking Behaviour Change

Unlocking Behaviour Change is a podcast delving into psychology and motivation. Join Professor Robert West, a world-leading behavioural scientist, and Jamie West, a writer and musician, as they explore the human mind with practical insights and a touch of humour. Whether you’re into psychology, behaviour science, or just want to understand yourself (and others) a little better, this podcast is for you. Check out our latest books: Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y

science social sciences

All Episodes

24:39

What role do values play in our behaviour?

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/05/19

Is stealing always bad? Are we all hypocrites? What do we do when our morals conflict with our own self-interest? Join Robert and Jamie as they discuss values, ethics and judgements, exploring ideas from a Substack article Robert has written drawing together key writings of psychologists and others on values. Here is a link to the article.An important point that Robert brings out is that values such as kindness and understanding always operate within our personal spheres of affiliation - who we

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27:06

Justice is in the eye of the beholder

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/05/12

Our sense of justice plays a huge role in our moral judgements and our behaviour. But there are many different versions of justice - what is justice for one person is gross unfairness for another.In their journey through things we like and dislike, Robert and Jamie delve into this thorny topic and what it means for behavioural scientists. Want more? Check out our latest books: Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y React: Harness Your Animal

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27:46

Power struggles and group identity

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/05/05

Robert and Jamie continue to explore sources of likes and dislikes (in the broadest sense) and in this episode move on to 'power' and how that relates to leadership. Robert reflects on the idea that often people don;t just want power for themselves, but for groups with whom they identify - and this is an extremely important source of conflict. Here is a link to the Substack article containing the pretty comprehensive list of sources of likes and dislikes. Want more? Check out our latest

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28:35

The extraordinary motivating force of 'purpose' and...

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/04/28

Humans appear to need some kind of purpose to our existence. It might be directed at spiritual enlightenment, furthering the well-being of the species, personal growth, getting good at something, or even just collecting stamps. Robert and Jamie discuss this as part of their examination of things that act as sources of wants and needs. They also delve briefly into the related topic of 'transcendence' - the sense of there being something beyond the physical world. Like other sources of wants and

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28:48

The mysterious power of 'craving' and its role in...

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/04/21

What are cravings and what causes them? Craving is weird. You'd think that the more we enjoy something the more we would crave it. Not so. We crave things we don’t even like! As part of the series on what people do and do not like, Robert is on to one of his favourite topics. Here is a link to the Substack article setting out all the various things people tend to like and dislike. Want more? Check out our latest books: Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y React:

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29:12

Never underestimate the importance of being 'amused'...

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/04/14

What would life be like without entertainment? Is beauty integral to a good life? Is all art subjective? As part of their wide-ranging look at what people do and do not like, Robert and Jamie explore the world of aesthetic pleasure and displeasure . . . Here is a link to the Substack article that they are drawing on. Want more? Check out our latest books: Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9 Sign up to

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26:34

Unlocking Behaviour Change Podcast Episode 46:...

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/04/07

Staying alive is terribly important to us . . . under certain circumstances. Why do we behave in ways that actually damage our bodies and shorten our lifespan? Robert and Jamie discuss what is going on and how life and death fit in with and compete with other motives. Here is a link to the Substack article with quite a comprehensive list of our sources of motivation. Want more? Check out our latest books: Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y React: Harness Your Animal

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26:26

Unlocking Behaviour Change Episode 45: We have...

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/03/31

Robert continues to explore the different factors that act as sources of liking and disliking and has asked his AI friend Claude to review his list and suggest how these could be usefully grouped. One crucial grouping concerns being in control of ourselves, other people and events, and understanding the world around us.Robert and Jamie delve into this and reflect on the importance, when teaching people of all ages, of avoiding the unpleasant feeling that comes from not understanding. Here is a list

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27:45

Unlocking Behaviour Change Podcast Episode 44: The...

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/03/24

Robert has been busy making a list of things we like and things we dislike... Or do we? One person’s meat is another person’s poison. The duo also discuss drinking culture, life and death, and wanting to feel less bored... and make a passing reference to the wonderful Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for no very good reason... Want more? Check out our latest books: Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9 Sign up

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25:56

Unlocking Behaviour Change Podcast Episode 43: Are...

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/03/17

So much of what we do stems from anticipated comfort, pleasure or satisfaction, or relief from pain or discomfort. So a really important target when trying to change behaviour is creating these anticipated feelings. We do this in lots of different ways, from rewarding and punishing behaviours, through prompting them to vividly imagine what may happen if they do the behaviour. Robert and Jamie continue their exploration of the updated COM-B model and the CACTIS tool to help create effective

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28:23

Unlocking Behaviour Change Podcast Episode 42: What...

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/03/10

As part of their exploration into the updated COM-B and the CACTIS tool, Robert and Jamie discuss one of the big reasons for changing behaviour: because people think it's a good idea! But there is so much to unpack here when it comes to how we can provoke behaviour change. Do we improve their capability by helping them truly understand the benefits of changing over the costs, or try to persuade them about the merits of change when they already know the facts? Or something else. And how do lotteries

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26:41

Unlocking Behaviour Change Episode 41: Using CACTIS...

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/03/03

How can we make practical use of the COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation - Behaviour) Model when developing behaviour change interventions? The answer is the CACTIS (COM-B Assessment To Intervention Strategy) tool! It was CACTISS with 'Spreadsheet' at the end, but since the podcast, a decision has been made to drop the last S because although the original version was a spreadsheet, the new improved version (watch this space) will be a more interactive website.Here's a link to the spreadsheet

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26:01

Unlocking Behaviour Change Podcast Episode 40: How...

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/02/24

Robert has been wondering whether the updated COM-B is enough of an advance to merit the label COM-B 2.0! But more importantly, Robert and Jamie drill down on the concept of 'intention' and explore the intention-action gap. This leads to evidence-based tips for increasing the chances that we will do what we intend to do using the COM-B model.Want more? Check out our latest books: Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y React: Harness Your Animal

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28:32

Unlocking Behaviour Change Podcast Episode 39:...

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/02/17

This week Jamie has been playing Animal Crossing and Robert has been trying not to eat chocolate biscuits. Also, Robert offers tips on making marginal but meaningful changes to behaviour as the duo delves deeper into COM-B. Robert talks about how identity and imagination are important in turning 'should' into 'want' ... and how 'want' becomes 'should'! Want more? Check out our latest books: Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y React: Harness Your Animal

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24:47

Unlocking Behaviour Change Podcast Episode 38: More...

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/02/10

Why does Robert keep hitting tennis drop shots into the net? How does ‘Atomic/Individual COM-B’ affect ‘Population COM-B’? Robert continues his preview of COM-B 2.0 while Jamie wonders if England’s cricketers will ever learn how to make the right decisions ‘in the moment’ . . . Oh yes and they make a start, looking at the granular COM-B targets of: awareness of the behaviour and stuff to do with social norms and rule. Robert brings up the CACTISS Tool for which a video on the first version can be

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25:38

Unlocking Behaviour Change Podcast Episode 37:...

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/02/03

An updated version of the COM-B model is nearly ready to roll. It clarifies some things and expands others. It is 'backwardly compatible' with 'classic COM-B'. This episode is the first of several discussing what's new in COM-B 2.0 covering: 1) distinguishing 'individual' and 'population' level COM-B, 2) expanding the specification of 'behaviour', and 3) making a start on covering the more specific features of capability, opportunity and motivation. This episode covers the 'individual' versus

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28:52

Unlocking Behaviour Change Episode 36: Introduction...

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/01/27

You can do it! Or . . . can you? When does believing in your own abilities help you achieve your goals? In this episode, Robert and Jamie explore how the different elements of the COM-B model interact. They clear up a bit of confusion about whether self-efficacy sits better with capability or motivation, and why the capability factor 'understanding the costs and benefits of doing something' primarily exerts its influence through motivation ... Even seasoned COM-B aficionados should find something

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27:12

Unlocking Behaviour Change Podcast Episode 35: An...

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/01/20

Having finished their series on decision-making, Robert and Jamie start a new series that delves into a widely used model of human behaviour, designed to guide interventions that influence behaviour. Many podcast listeners will be very familiar with this model, and many won't. Either way, Robert and Jamie try to bring the model to life in a way that is accessible to specialists and non-specialists alike. Want more? Check out our latest books: Energise: The

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26:56

Unlocking Behaviour Change Podcast Episode 34: Key...

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/01/13

It’s the last episode of the season! Robert and Jamie go on a whistle-stop tour through the FACET framework for understanding real-world decision-making: (Framing, Assessing, Comparing, Enacting and Time). They offer some of their favourite decision-making tips from the last season. These include: the importance of getting the decision 'frame right' as this conditions everything that follows; getting the right decision rule when choosing between options, taking account of our attitude to risk; the

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26:09

Unlocking Behaviour Change Podcast Episode 33: How to...

Unlocking Behaviour Change ·

2026/01/06

How do you spot a ‘dubious’ expert? What signs should you look out for? What counts as reliable evidence? And ultimately . . . who can you trust? Robert and Jamie offer tips and advice on navigating the information that bombards us every day. Want more? Check out our latest books: Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9 Sign up to Robert’s Substack: https://robertwest100.substack.com/ Subscribe to the UBC

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