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The Evo–Eco Approach to Behaviour Change

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Applied Evolutionary Anthropology

Part of the book series: Advances in the Evolutionary Analysis of Human Behaviour ((AEAHB,volume 1))

Abstract

We introduce a new approach to behaviour change called ‘Evo–Eco’ because of its intellectual roots in evolutionary biology and ecological psychology. This approach is based on the inference that brains evolved to provide adaptive behavioural responses to rapidly changing or complex environmental conditions. From this foundation, we develop a model with three basic components: the environment, which presents some challenge or opportunity to the individual; the brain, which produces potential responses to that challenge; and the body, which engages in interactions with the environment (i.e. produces behaviour) that changes that environment. The behaviours of interest to behaviour-change professionals typically occur in particular settings, which can be seen as a context within which these basic components interact. We report how the approach has been used to develop public health programmes, as well as to make novel predictions about behavioural causes (i.e. placement of new target behaviours within a routine) which have proved to impact on the ability to change a behaviour. The Evo–Eco approach thus deserves to be used by public health workers and others to change behaviour.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to Adam Biran, Micheal de Barra, Katie Greenland, Sharon Guten, Gaby Judah, Hans-Joachim Mosler, Helen Trevaskis, Robert West, Allan Wicker, two anonymous referees and the editors for contributing to earlier versions of this work.

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  1. Hygiene Centre, Environmental Health Group, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel St., London, WC15 7HT, UK

    Robert Aunger & Valerie Curtis

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  1. Robert Aunger
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  2. Valerie Curtis
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Correspondence to Robert Aunger .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Bristol Archaeology and Anthropology, Bristol, United Kingdom

    Mhairi A. Gibson

  2. Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom

    David W. Lawson

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Aunger, R., Curtis, V. (2014). The Evo–Eco Approach to Behaviour Change. In: Gibson, M., Lawson, D. (eds) Applied Evolutionary Anthropology. Advances in the Evolutionary Analysis of Human Behaviour, vol 1. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0280-4_12

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