Table 1.

Behavioral Economics Phenomena: Definitions and Potential Applications to Adolescent and Young Adult Health

Behavioral Economics Phenomenon	Definition	Example Applications for Motivating AYA Health Behaviors
Present bias (Hyperbolic temporal discounting)	Tendency to place stronger weight on payoffs closer to the present when considering trade-offs between two future moments²⁵	• Highlight immediate benefits: Adolescents more likely to use sun protection after focusing on shorter-term effects of skin aging rather than long-term risk of skin cancer³⁶
Overweighting of Small Probabilities	Small probabilities have disproportionate influence on choices and decisions³⁷	• Use lottery incentives: HIV testing increased among teens randomized to fixed and lottery incentive groups compared to the no incentive group⁴⁴
Loss Aversion	Individuals are more strongly motivated to avoid losses than to achieve corresponding gains⁴⁶	• Frame incentives as losses: Adolescents with type 1 diabetes had improved blood glucose monitoring with daily loss-framed $2 incentives⁵⁴
Availability	Overstating the probability of an outcome based on how easily an instance of the outcome comes to mind⁵⁸	Use memorable anecdotes: Young adults may be more likely to enroll in a drug prevention program after a celebrity drug overdose⁶⁴
Social Norms	Tendency to conform to in-group expectations of appropriate behavior⁶⁹	• Reset social norms with accurate data: College students reduced alcohol use after learning about the lower-than-expected average alcohol consumption of other students⁷⁹
Relative Social Ranking	Individuals care about how they compare to others, especially those who are familiar or in close proximity⁸¹	• Leverage social networks and status to reduce risky behaviors: Students were more likely to adopt anticonflict behaviors when students with high social influence implemented the intervention⁸⁶
Ordering Effects (Primacy Effect, Recency Effect, Default Bias)	Presentation order of options (e.g., first, last, default) influences the option chosen^38,94	• Use order to endorse healthier options: More low-calorie meals purchased when menu ordered options from lowest to highest calories⁹⁸
Choice Overload	Tendency to make a suboptimal choice or to defer choice when faced with multiple options¹⁰¹	• Reduce the number of options presented: When counseling adolescents on contraception, offer three categories of methods, in order of efficacy¹⁰⁷