Katy Milkman

I am speaking at the SPSP 2026 Annual Convention. Please check out my panel on science communication if you're attending the event! #SPSP2026

What’s the Best Way to Break a Bad Habit? - Part-Time Genius Why is it so hard to stop oversleeping and eating candy? Why is it equally hard to start going to the gym and preparing healthy snacks? If you’ve been struggling with New Year’s resolutions, you’re no...

If there's a habit you've been meaning to break (or make), today's episode is for you. We dive into the science of why habits are so tenacious, and the brilliant @katymilkman.bsky.social shares advice for making real change stick. (Hint: don't just "just do it.")

omny.fm/shows/part-t...

The surprising benefits of asking what you have in common with Luke Skywalker A conversation with Ohio State psychology Professor Kurt Gray about the power of recasting your life as a “hero’s journey”

Most of your favorite stories from Star Wars to Harry Potter follow a 7 step formula called a hero’s journey. What’s fascinating is that Kurt Gray & his collaborators showed recasting your own life story so it fits this formula can improve your resilience! Read on: open.substack.com/pub/katymilk...

I’m so excited that REVEALING is out this week! My incredible friend and collaborator HBS Prof. Leslie John wrote this book to help you discover the science behind the underrated power of oversharing. I hope you'll love it as much as I did!

Pick up a copy: www.amazon.com/Revealing-Un...)

The bias that makes disagreement so hard A conversation with Harvard Kennedy School Professor Julia Minson on naïve realism, plus New Year’s insights on behavior change

What is naive realism + how could recognizing this bias help improve your relationships? I share a Q&A with @JuliaMinson on naive realism in my latest newsletter. Julia’s soon-to-be-released book, How to Disagree Better, is a must read for 2026: a.co/d/0ayF4p3V!
👉🏻 open.substack.com/pub/katymilk...

It was a treat to kick off our Wharton Decision Processes speaker series with a talk by Duke Prof Rick Larrick about the perils of including your own best guess at a quantity when eliciting an outside estimate. We even managed to snap a photo of Rick on our bench with Ben Franklin. Snow be darned!

To learn more than who visited this past fall and the title of their talk (shown below), and to find out who will be joining us to share their latest research when the series kicks off again on Monday, February 2nd, visit:
marketing.wharton.upenn.edu/events/decis...

What is the best thing about being a behavioral scientist at Wharton? It's hard to pick, but it *might* be attending our extraordinary, star-studded Decision Processes seminar series. Check out the speakers we brought through this fall, each of whom agreed to pose on Penn's iconic Ben Franklin bench

Here’s a recording of yesterday’s Q&A on science communication with Emily Oster!

Here’s a recording of yesterday’s Q&A on science communication with Emily Oster!

Thanks to @pennchibe.bsky.social + @bcfginitiative.bsky.social for organizing this event. And to Emily for dropping so much wisdom.

If you weren't one of the many hundreds of people who joined us live but wish you could've been there, never fear: we'll post a recording soon, so keep en eye out!

I appreciated Emily's wisdom re what we should all remember when communicating w/ non-scientists
1️⃣ Don't use jargon. It defeats the goal of ensuring your audience feels smart + empowered.
2️⃣ Know the bottom line / the big takeaway you want your audience to remember (and don't communicate it subtly).

->The Pitt: Underrated
->Hormone Replacement Therapy: Underrated
->MM Lafleur: Underrated
->X: Overrated
->Morning Sunshine: Overrated

It was *such* a treat to co-host Emily Oster (w/ @alison-buttenheim.bsky.social) for a Zoom Q&A today on how to communicate about science with a broad audience. The highlight? Possibly the unexpected game of "Underrated/Overrated" Alison launched at the close. Here are Emily's hot takes...

Don’t miss the chance to join me for a Q&A with the incredible Prof. Emily Oster on Zoom next Wed 1/28 at 12PM ET. I’ll be co-hosting a conversation about best practices in science communication. Who better to answer questions on this topic than Emily Oster? Register to join here: bit.ly/4qqmF8l

I’m so proud of everything the team at the Behavior Change for Good Initiative accomplished in 2025! Check it out 👀

In her book, Maya shares the stories of ordinary but also extraordinary people who've faced unwanted change. And she offers advice on how to find strength in the face of this kind of challenge. Maya's book is full of wisdom, grounded in lived experience, and backed by science. Buy it: a.co/d/3Ivj3zc

Today, my brilliant friend Maya Shankar's first book - THE OTHER SIDE OF CHANGE - is officially available. This book is powerful and poignant. Sometimes we're forced to cope with a change we never anticipated and would never have chosen. What then?

I’m really looking forward to this and hope you’ll consider joining us!

Mark your calendar: BCFG, @katymilkman.bsky.social and @pennchibe.bsky.social will host a virtual keynote talk with Emily Oster on Wed 1/28 at 12 PM ET.

Register here: bit.ly/4qqmF8l.

Here’s how to make resolutions stick, according to a behavior change scientist Researcher Katy Milkman explains science-backed ways to commit to your goals, including a hack called “temptation bundling.”

Kick off the new year with insights on how to reach your goals–featuring Co-Director @katymilkman.bsky.social in a recent @washingtonpost.com article by @gretchenxreynolds.bsky.social: wapo.st/4qHDDiL.

When @melrobbins.bsky.social and I talked about the science of behavior change, I explained the importance of using friction to support your best intentions. That means making it as easy as possible to do things that are good for you and as hard as possible to do things that are bad for you.

Ha! Quitting goals are some of the best ones! @annieduke.com can say more…

Ever wondered why people are particularly open to change at New Year's? I did! As I explained to @melrobbins.bsky.social, that wondering led Hengchen Dai, Jason Riis and I to collect data, and we found that every New Year, every Monday, and every birthday all have something in common...

When @melrobbins.bsky.social asked me to explain why the people around you matter and how they can shape what you're able to achieve, here's what I said...

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⌛️ Two days left to double your donation to @give-directly.bsky.social for #PodsFightPoverty!

Donate: givedirectly.org/pods

When @melrobbins.bsky.social asked me the biggest lie we've all been told about change, here's what I said...

Opinion | Willpower Doesn’t Work. This Does.

Here is a gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/28/o...

Opinion | Willpower Doesn’t Work. This Does.

I couldn’t possibly agree more with this wise advice on how to set yourself up for success with your 2026 goals from the brilliant @angeladuckworth.bsky.social in today’s New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/28/o...