If both stairs and escalator are equipped side by side, most people tend to use the convenient escalator. But at a subway station in Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden, the stairs are more popular than the escalator. Guess why?
At first, here too, people rushed to the escalator like other subway stations. The Swedish government recommended people to take the stairs to avoid the crowded escalator and to improve people’s health, but it was useless. After much study, the government devised a piano staircase. When pressure is applied on each step, a musical note is played. So, many people from kids to the elderly, and even the disabled began to take the stairs. This is called Nudge Effect—inducing people to make a positive choice spontaneously without forcing them. It means a little stimulation brings a great effect.
In our daily lives too, there are ways to see nudge effect. It is to make others feel good through compliment, humor, sympathy, and consideration because these factors that make others pleasant and happy have enough potential nudge effect in them.