Behavioural Bytes

Transformative Approaches to Mental Health in the SADC Region

What an exhilarating experience it was to present our vision for transforming mental health care in the SADC region at the recent iMPAC Symposium! We’...

Brain Matters Portal Launches!

If we stopped South Africans on the street and asked how their brains were doing, what do you think they’d say? We tend to know the answers when it c...

"My Fellow South Africans..."

When these words echo through Parliament each February, the nation listens. This characteristic opening by President Cyril Ramaphosa signals more tha...

#1. Introducing ‘Behavioural Bytes’

We are thrilled to announce the launch of Behavioural Bytes – a weekly blog for curious minds, business leaders and listeners, and worldwide wonderers...

#2. Don't Throw Good Money After Bad Decisions

Which seems logical: Cut your losses or sink deeper into the money pit? Yes, it’s a trick question, as the brain’s default setting tends to the irrati...

#3. Unmasking Our Biases

Waste of time or second opinion: a trusted coworker says microwaving your pasta for an extra minute makes it taste better. Does it actually taste bett...

#4. South Africa's 2024 Election

As Mzansi’s May election draws ever closer and the ballot boxes start shipping out, tackling disinformation before the bandwagon rolls out is vital. ...

#5. Thinking Fast and Flawed

You’re out for dinner with friends, and the menu reads like a dissertation. Everyone has ordered so you’re feeling rushed rather than rational. Your b...

#6. 'Stop talking kak about our country.' - Rassie Erasmus

Freedom Day is a celebration and reminder that South Africa is a nation that embodies hope. It’s a day to honour the struggle for equality and unity i...

#7. The Irrational Truth

Life's not a melktert-eating contest where your chommie’s big slice means you and your other chommies get the crumbs. That’s zero-sum bias at work – b...

#8. Beyond the Hashtag

Even if April’s Earth Month trends less and Mzansi’s May elections trend higher, the impact we have on our environment is always on trend – and plasti...

#9. Misinformation and the Upcoming South African Elections

With a pivotal election coming up on 29 May, fake news makes moerse kak for our democracy, dividing us SAffers and making us feel that our voting syst...

#10. Transforming South Africa

In South Africa, our history of spatial apartheid continues to shape lives. Many of our poorest communities reside far from urban centres, facing chal...

#11. The Mental Health Crisis in South Africa

Consider this: if you are in a room with four South Africans, the likelihood is that one of you is quietly, perhaps invisibly, battling moderate to se...

#12. The Developing Brain in a Digital World

In a recent episode of The Huberman Lab podcast, Dr Jonathan Haidt, PhD, a renowned social psychologist, discussed the impact of technology on mental ...

#13. Movember - More Than Just a 'Snor'

This Movember, let’s redefine strength by tackling an overlooked issue: men’s health. In South Africa, and globally, too many men fall into a risky pa...

#14. When Food Choices Aren't Really Choices

November 14th is World Diabetes Day—a moment to examine how our food choices impact both health and wellbeing. While glucose remains our body's primar...

#15 Viral lies

In a world where false information spreads faster than ever, the parallels between viral contagion and the dissemination of misinformation are strikin...

#16 Beyond the Braai

Summer in South Africa isn't just about sunshine and braais, many experience moments of disconnection during this festive season. Let's explore eviden...

#17 1,502 Lives Lost

Monday's sobering briefing by National Department of Transport Minister Barbara Creecy revealed a harsh truth: 1,502 lives lost on our roads this fest...

When Conservation Meets Community

We're thrilled to announce that BCA will be working alongside South African National Parks (SANParks) to bring behavioural insights into their stakeho...

Exciting News!

BCA is partnering with the University of the Free State (UFS) to apply behavioural science insights that boost student engagement, digital literacy, a...

#18 Hope vs Optimism

At BCA, as we reflect on President Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address, the distinction between hope and optimism becomes strikingly relevant for ...

#19 What if we've been overlooking a critical investment in our future?

Every budget speech is packed with numbers: tax revenues, deficit projections, growth targets. But behind those numbers are people. And those people a...

A Manual for the Work That Matters

As behavioural scientists, we know that not every project will carry the same weight. But some truly remind us why we do this work. The TB Social and ...

BCA at the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group

This past week, the BCA team found itself alongside leaders, experts and policymakers at the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group. We had gathered to con...

#20 Mind the Gap

Let's talk about the economy for a second. Not the rand-dollar exchange or the price of petrol (though we know that's painful). We're talking about th...

#21 Brain Matters When Jobs Don't

It's no secret that unemployment is a major issue amongst South African youth, with nearly 45.5% not in education, employment or training. What is oft...

Hunger Crisis in South Africa

Something doesn't add up. We read the article in the Daily Maverick this week about South Africa's hunger crisis, and it highlighted a crude contradic...

Are Any Good Deeds Truly Selfless?

For the armchair philosophers out there (and yes, the diehard Friends fans), it’s a question that never gets old: If doing something kind makes you fe...

The Biology Of Behaviour

Understanding behaviour begins with the understanding the brain, underscoring the importance of connecting theoretical behavioural science concepts wi...

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