‘We Have Never Been Individuals’ - by Christine Webb - Behavioral Scientist How our sense of human exceptionalism fosters a psychological detachment to the natural world that limits our science and diminishes our understanding of ourselves and other species.

Delightful read about our interconnectedness.

I had never heard the term involution before (a complement to evolution).

behavioralscientist.org/we-have-neve...

You are immersed in the world...
And the world is immersed in you.

But the way we typically understand evolution doesn’t reflect this interconnectedness. And the way we see evolution shapes the way we see ourselves.

‘We Have Never Been Individuals’ 🧪
behavioralscientist.org/we-have-neve...

'Looking Backward' to the Future - Behavioral Scientist When American author Edward Bellamy published his utopian novel Looking Backward: 2000 – 1887 in 1888, he didn’t know that it would be one of the best-selling books of the era; that it would inspire…

When American author Edward Bellamy published his utopian novel Looking Backward: 2000 – 1887 in 1888, he set off a new wave of thinking about what society could be.
behavioralscientist.org/looking-back...

Facts and the Fight for Moral High Ground - by Gwen Ottinger - Behavioral Scientist How science can get it right and still miss the point.

Scientists’ research alone can’t shift standards of right & wrong. And allies showing up is not enough to overcome abandonment felt by marginalized groups. What to do?

Fmr CASBS fellow Gwen Ottinger illuminates in this sharp piece @behscientist.bsky.social

behavioralscientist.org/facts-and-th...

'Looking Backward' to the Future - Behavioral Scientist When American author Edward Bellamy published his utopian novel Looking Backward: 2000 – 1887 in 1888, he didn’t know that it would be one of the best-selling books of the era; that it would inspire…

When American author Edward Bellamy published his utopian novel Looking Backward: 2000 – 1887 in 1888, he set off a new wave of thinking about what society could be.
behavioralscientist.org/looking-back...

Why Open Offices Are the Answer...But Only for Now - Behavioral Scientist In 1958 a German consulting group came up with an idea to break down barriers to innovation and productivity: the “landscaped office.”

Ever wondered whether open offices are here to last? And what they tell us about companies and creativity?

behavioralscientist.org/open-offices...

Rational choice theory (RCT) has become the normative standard for decision-making.

However, it is deeply inadequate as a benchmark for good decisions, argues Barry Schwartz:

buff.ly/j1RyX8W
via @behscientist.bsky.social

A Day in the Life - by Barry Schwartz - Behavioral Scientist The theory that underpins much of decision-making science falls short as a way to think about how we actually make decisions and how decisions should be made.

The theory that underpins much of decision-making science falls short as a way to think about how we actually make decisions and how decisions should be made, argues Barry Schwartz in a new article.

behavioralscientist.org/a-day-in-the...

New Year’s Address to the Nation - by Václav Havel - Behavioral Scientist When Václav Havel spoke to the citizens of Czechoslovakia as their president on New Year’s Day in 1990, it was the first time in 40 years a democratic leader delivered the annual address. Havel had...

Our new format “Noticing People and Things” will bring the perspectives of philosophers, authors, poets, and artists into the behavioral science discourse. Our first entry comes from Václav Havel—Czech playwright, poet, essayist, dissident, and ... president.

behavioralscientist.org/vaclav-havel...

A Day in the Life - by Barry Schwartz - Behavioral Scientist The theory that underpins much of decision-making science falls short as a way to think about how we actually make decisions and how decisions should be made.

Our understanding of decision-making has changed radically over the past few decades, and we’ve gained a much clearer sense for how people actually make decisions. While this change was revolutionary, the revolution is not over, argues Barry Schwartz

behavioralscientist.org/a-day-in-the...

A Day in the Life - by Barry Schwartz - Behavioral Scientist The theory that underpins much of decision-making science falls short as a way to think about how we actually make decisions and how decisions should be made.

Our understanding of decision-making has changed radically over the past few decades, and we’ve gained a much clearer sense for how people actually make decisions. While this change was revolutionary, the revolution is not over, argues Barry Schwartz

behavioralscientist.org/a-day-in-the...

New Year’s Address to the Nation - by Václav Havel - Behavioral Scientist When Václav Havel spoke to the citizens of Czechoslovakia as their president on New Year’s Day in 1990, it was the first time in 40 years a democratic leader delivered the annual address. Havel had...

Our new format “Noticing People and Things” will bring the perspectives of philosophers, authors, poets, and artists into the behavioral science discourse. Our first entry comes from Václav Havel—Czech playwright, poet, essayist, dissident, and ... president.

behavioralscientist.org/vaclav-havel...

New Year’s Address to the Nation - by Václav Havel - Behavioral Scientist When Václav Havel spoke to the citizens of Czechoslovakia as their president on New Year’s Day in 1990, it was the first time in 40 years a democratic leader delivered the annual address. Havel had…

When Václav Havel spoke to the citizens of Czechoslovakia on New Year’s Day in 1990, it was the first time in 40 years a democratic leader delivered the annual address. Havel had to help usher in a new year, new government, and new era for the nation.
behavioralscientist.org/vaclav-havel...

A Day in the Life - by Barry Schwartz - Behavioral Scientist The theory that underpins much of decision-making science falls short as a way to think about how we actually make decisions and how decisions should be made.

The theory that underpins much of decision-making science falls short as a way to think about how we actually make decisions and how decisions should be made, argues Barry Schwartz in a new article.

behavioralscientist.org/a-day-in-the...

New Year’s Address to the Nation - by Václav Havel - Behavioral Scientist When Václav Havel spoke to the citizens of Czechoslovakia as their president on New Year’s Day in 1990, it was the first time in 40 years a democratic leader delivered the annual address. Havel had…

When Václav Havel spoke to the citizens of Czechoslovakia on New Year’s Day in 1990, it was the first time in 40 years a democratic leader delivered the annual address. Havel had to help usher in a new year, new government, and new era for the nation.
behavioralscientist.org/vaclav-havel...

Why don’t people return their shopping carts/trolleys?

For the answer, analyse the data—from the experts in encouraging their rightful return who document their interventions on YouTube.

@hwaldfogel.bsky.social did just that. Here’s what she found:

buff.ly/DgrcVFR
Via @behscientist.bsky.social

Save the Date—Neuropaz 2026: Hard Truths & Paths Forward - Behavioral Scientist In February, Behavioral Scientist will team up with the peace science organization Neuropaz to host an online event exploring the latest work and thinking at the intersection of behavioral science…

Are you a behavioral scientist curious about how your work could apply in the peace and conflict space? If so, join us on Friday, February 6 for Neuropaz—an online event exploring work at the intersection of the two fields. Find out more and register here: behavioralscientist.org/save-the-dat...

Save the Date—Neuropaz 2026: Hard Truths & Paths Forward - Behavioral Scientist In February, Behavioral Scientist will team up with the peace science organization Neuropaz to host an online event exploring the latest work and thinking at the intersection of behavioral science…

Don't forget to register for Neuropaz—an online event focused on the work happening at the intersection of peace and conflict and behavioral science. The event is online and free to attend. Find out more and register today

behavioralscientist.org/save-the-dat...

Save the Date—Neuropaz 2026: Hard Truths & Paths Forward - Behavioral Scientist In February, Behavioral Scientist will team up with the peace science organization Neuropaz to host an online event exploring the latest work and thinking at the intersection of behavioral science…

Are you a behavioral scientist curious about how your work could apply in the peace and conflict space? If so, join us on Friday, February 6 for Neuropaz—an online event exploring work at the intersection of the two fields. Find out more and register here: behavioralscientist.org/save-the-dat...

Save the Date—Neuropaz 2026: Hard Truths & Paths Forward - Behavioral Scientist In February, Behavioral Scientist will team up with the peace science organization Neuropaz to host an online event exploring the latest work and thinking at the intersection of behavioral science…

Don't forget to register for Neuropaz—an online event focused on the work happening at the intersection of peace and conflict and behavioral science. The event is online and free to attend. Find out more and register today

behavioralscientist.org/save-the-dat...

Behavioral Scientist’s Notable Books of 2025 - Behavioral Scientist Our list of noteworthy behavioral science books published in 2025.

Behavioral Scientist’s Notable Books of 2025 behavioralscientist.org/behavioral-s... via @behscientist

Behavioral Scientist’s Notable Books of 2025 - Behavioral Scientist Our list of noteworthy behavioral science books published in 2025.

Behavioral Scientist’s Notable Books of 2025 — Our list of noteworthy behavioral science books published in 2025. behavioralscientist.org/behavioral-s...

Behavioral Scientist’s Notable Books of 2025 - Behavioral Scientist Our list of noteworthy behavioral science books published in 2025.

Behavioral Scientist’s Notable Books of 2025 — Our list of noteworthy behavioral science books published in 2025. behavioralscientist.org/behavioral-s...

Why Don’t People Return Their Shopping Carts? A (Somewhat) Scientific Investigation I arrived on the scene early one Saturday. The suspects were long gone, but the evidence remained. One cart was wedged into a curb, another sat toppled over in a parking spot, a third drifted like a metal tumbleweed across the lot. My question: _Why don’t people return their shopping carts?_ I’m a psychologist who has spent the past decade studying how we think about our own behavior in relation to others. Perhaps the choice to not return a shopping cart seems trivial, but what we do with our cart says a lot about how we think about others and what we believe we owe one another (or don’t). I’ve _never_ understood why people don’t put their carts away. In high school, I worked as a shopping cart attendant at my local grocery store, shepherding carts across the lot. Since then, for reasons I can’t fully explain, people’s failure to return their carts bothers me more than it probably should, with every trip to the grocery store a reminder of the special kind of havoc humanity is capable of. Then last year, on a windy weekend morning in a Wegman’s parking lot, it hit me. Not a cart, but the realization that I can do something productive about it. So I approached the question of shopping cart abandonment the way I would any puzzle about human behavior: I collected data. My evidence came from an unlikely source: Cart Narcs, a small group whose mission is to encourage cart return, sometimes gently, sometimes less so. They upload their efforts on their YouTube channel, which boasts hundreds of videos recorded between 2020 and 2025, taking place mostly in California, but also Nevada, Texas, Louisiana, New York, Canada, Australia, and England. Cart abandonment, it turns out, knows no regional bounds. As of September 2025, these videos have collectively been viewed over 90 million times. (See below for one of the tamer videos.) frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen> I watched a total of 564 encounters between Cart Narcs and cart abandoners. These don’t represent a perfectly random sample of interactions, but together they capture a broad cross-section of everyday behavior. (And, as far as I know, it’s the largest archive of shopping cart behavior available.) Most interactions begin the same way: Someone leaves their cart and a Cart Narc requests they return it. At this point I documented what happened next, transcribing parking lot reactions word for unhinged word. To be clear, this was not a quick process. I spent dozens of weekend hours hunched over my computer pausing and replaying YouTube videos. People in my life called this “concerning” and a “waste of time.” I called it research. My approach was inductive, which is a fancy way of saying that I had neither theory nor hypotheses. Instead, I let the data speak for itself, coding people’s raw (and wildly unfiltered) responses. Over time, patterns emerged, and eventually, I was left with a detailed catalog of behavior, complete with justifications, deflections, hostility, and, miraculously, humanity. **Why don’t people return their carts?** People had all sorts of reactions to being asked to do the right thing (see Figure 1). There were those who **deflected** , challenging the question itself rather than answering it. _Do you work here? Are you the cart police? Do you represent this company? Who are you? Can I see your ID? Do you have any authority? Who do you work for? Who do you think you are? Why don’t you get a real job?_ * * * **_Figure 1:_**_People’s responses to being asked to return their cart. Note: Responses are not mutually exclusive._ * * * Some responded with anger and **aggression**. They yelled, cursed, and mocked. Some threatened to (or did) call law enforcement. Others escalated further, brandishing weapons like guns, tasers, or knives. “I’m gonna slash your face,” warned one man. “Why don’t I kick your ass?” asked another. A third shopper told the Cart Narc, “This is how you get killed.” If only returning the cart stirred as much passion as did refusing to. Then there were the many, many excuses. In over half of the encounters I watched, shoppers provided at least one justification for their choice to abandon the cart (see Figure 2). Many invoked **entitlement** , sometimes mentioning an identity they believed exempted them from common decency. “I worked at Safeway for lots of years and people left their carts all the time,” one man said. Another explained his choice to leave his cart by saying, “After 40 years of working retail grocery, I’ve earned it.” Earned what, exactly? The right to not pick up after yourself? There were those who cited **physical limitations** barring them from cart return. “I’m 72 years old. I can’t walk that far,” __ explained __ a man after pushing his cart to the furthest edge of the lot. Another shopper clarified her choice to leave the cart in the middle of a handicap parking spot by mentioning, “I’m handicapped myself.” And one woman, upon being confronted about leaving her cart, declared, “I have really bad vertigo,” __ before getting behind the wheel and driving away. To be clear: Disabilities deserve accommodation. But if you could push the full cart to your car, why couldn’t you return the empty one? * * * _**Figure 2** : Excuses provided for not returning the cart. Note: These excuses are not mutually exclusive. _ * * * Other people were simply **too busy** to return their carts. “I’m over an hour late to my own kid’s birthday party,” revealed one hurried shopper. “We have somewhere we need to be,” another alleged, before spending the next eight minutes arguing with the Cart Narc __ about how he didn’t have time to return his cart.__ Some mentioned **inconvenience**. “Them carts don’t even roll,” one shopper complained, after going out of his way to dig the wheels of his cart straight into grass and dirt. Many justified their behavior by **invoking norms** and pointing to _other_ cart abandoners. “Everyone else puts them there,” one shopper said, leaving his cart with a gaggle of similarly unreturned ones. “The culture around here is doing it,” insisted another, as if not returning one’s cart were a local tradition. This reasoning—everyone else does it—pairs best with a juice box and a timeout. If everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you? Another type of excuse invoked other people by **shifting responsibility** (or blame) to others. Many shoppers pointed to their choice to leave the cart as a form of job stability or creation. “They pay someone to collect them all” explained one man. Another insisted that _returning_ the cart is selfish because, “You’re putting someone out of a job.” It’s true that many stores do employ people to gather carts, but the job is to collect them from designated return areas—not to chase them down across the lot like loose cattle. In some interactions I watched, people feigned **ignorance**. Like the woman who was unaware that carts shouldn’t be left on the curb: “I don’t know where we’re supposed to put them. I typically stop at Ralph’s.” As if basic decency is wildly store-specific. My personal favorite justifications were the ones that invoked **habitual good behavior** ,**** explaining their choice to not return their cart by saying they _always put their cart away_. “Ninety-nine percent of the time I put it back,” insisted a shopper after not putting his back. But, between the shouting and the excuses, there were people who, upon being asked to return their cart, did. Some weren’t happy about it. “There’s too much going on in the world to pay attention to that,” one man grumbled while wheeling his back to the corral. Another threatened to break the Cart Narc’s arm before, incredibly, returning his cart. Others returned theirs silently. A few even owned up to their mistake. “I just got Cart Narc-ed! I apologize,” said one shopper. (Watch one cart abandoner’s mea culpa below). frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen> **What does behavioral science say?** We can also look to existing research in the social and behavioral sciences for insight into why people don’t return their carts. **_People respond to incentives_.** At Aldi, for example, you can’t take a cart without first inserting a quarter. When you’re done, you return the cart and get your quarter back. According to Aldi, this system saves customers money: By eliminating the need to pay employees to collect stray carts, Aldi can keep their prices low. (This kind of deposit system is standard in many European countries.) But if you Google “Aldi shopping carts,” you’ll find countless blog posts, articles, and videos explaining how to get around the quarter system, suggesting incentives have limits. **_People respond to signals of hierarchy_** _._ Many of the cart abandoners I watched justified their choice by saying, “They pay people to do that.” The implication was that returning the cart would deprive someone of work—or worse, that the task of cart return was beneath them. The grocery store where I worked in high school didn’t bother trying to incentivize people to return their carts. Instead, they cemented the hierarchy by hiring teenagers like me to wheel carts out to people’s cars, not wanting to burden their clientele with the task of cart return. Even in stores where returning the cart is expected, people may fail to do so if they feel the task of cart return is beneath them. Seeing a task as low status makes neglecting it feel more permissible. **_People respond to social norms_**. Psychologists distinguish between _descriptive norms_ (what people do) and _injunctive norms_ (what people think they’re supposed to do). When we see carts scattered across a parking lot, the descriptive norm tells us that leaving them is fine. But when we see other people returning their carts, it can feel wrong not to. Social norms cut both ways: They can excuse cart abandonment but also encourage cart return. Promoting cart return might be as simple as setting a new norm. The insight that people adjust their behavior to match what they believe _others_ are doing has powered countless “norm campaigns” from hotel signs reminding guests that _most_ people reuse their towels to university initiatives curbing binge drinking by publicizing that _most_ students do not drink excessively. In fact, shopping carts had their own norm campaign. In 1969, a retired grocer declared February “Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket” month, in an attempt to recover stolen shopping carts. Norms can tell us what to do, but not always _why_ it’s worth doing them. **_But people respond to meaning_**. Without a deposit system or a norm campaign, the most effective motivator might be reframing the act itself. Like Blockbuster’s “Be Kind, Rewind,” which turned something that felt like a chore into a small act of kindness and a favor for the next person. Or, drawing from something more serious, the “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk,” campaign that turned an uncomfortable confrontation into a gesture of loyalty. So, _do your part, return your cart_. Not because the cart matters, but because returning it means other people do.

Do your part, return your cart: behavioralscientist.org/why-dont-people-return-t...

This year was marked by uncertainty: political upheaval, economic unpredictability, varying promises of what AI will bring. Perhaps it’s not surprising then that several of our most popular articles of the year focused on navigating uncertainty. Full list: behavioralscientist.org/most-read-ar...

Save the Date—Neuropaz 2026: Hard Truths & Paths Forward - Behavioral Scientist In February, Behavioral Scientist will team up with the peace science organization Neuropaz to host an online event exploring the latest work and thinking at the intersection of behavioral science…

Save the Date: Neuropaz 2026 — In February, Behavioral Scientist will team up with the Neuropaz to host an event exploring the latest work and thinking at the intersection of behavioral science and peace and conflict. The event is online and free to attend.

behavioralscientist.org/save-the-dat...

Most Read Articles of 2025 - By The Editorial Board - Behavioral Scientist Take a moment to dive into the pieces you and your fellow readers turned to most this year.

"This year was marked by uncertainty: political upheaval, economic #unpredictability, varying promises [about #AI ]..Perhaps it’s not surprising then that several of our most popular #articles of the year focused on navigating #uncertainty.": buff.ly/MKnSiSl

via @behscientist.bsky.social
#news

Save the Date—Neuropaz 2026: Hard Truths & Paths Forward - Behavioral Scientist In February, Behavioral Scientist will team up with the peace science organization Neuropaz to host an online event exploring the latest work and thinking at the intersection of behavioral science…

Save the Date: Neuropaz 2026 — In February, Behavioral Scientist will team up with the Neuropaz to host an event exploring the latest work and thinking at the intersection of behavioral science and peace and conflict. The event is online and free to attend.

behavioralscientist.org/save-the-dat...

Most Read Articles of 2025 - By The Editorial Board - Behavioral Scientist Take a moment to dive into the pieces you and your fellow readers turned to most this year.

Behavioral Scientist's Most Read Articles of 2025 — Take a moment to dive into the pieces you and your fellow readers turned to most this year: behavioralscientist.org/most-read-ar...

The Trust Equation: It’s Not Just Who You Hire, It’s How You Hire - by Torben Emmerling - Behavioral Scientist What if organizations decided to treat their entire hiring process (not just who they hire), as a competitive advantage rather than a wearisome chore?

Why is the hiring process such a “bureaucratic quagmire” at so many organizations, and how can it be better?

behavioralscientist.org/the-trust-eq...