E84 Stop Chasing Quick Wins - Behavioural Science for Real world Complexity with Dr Paul Chadwick

In this episode of BrainFuel, Ruth is joined by Dr Paul Chadwick Chief Executive of the Behavioural Science and Public Health Network (BSPHN), clinical psychologist, and former Co-Director at the UCL Centre for Behaviour Change.

Paul shares what’s changing inside BSPHN, why the organisation is expanding beyond public health, and what it will take to embed behavioural science across the public sector in a way that’s practical, inclusive, and built for real-world complexity.

We also dive into Paul’s personal behaviour change story, why applied behavioural science can be a lonely job, and the big myth he’d send straight to Room 101…

🧠 What You’ll Learn In This Episode

• Why BSPHN believes the question is no longer “Do we need behavioural science?” but “How do we make it happen?”

• Why behavioural science must expand beyond public health because everything connects back to public health

• The value of the applied behavioural science practitioner (and why their wisdom needs amplifying)

• The four strategic pillars shaping BSPHN’s next chapter:

  • Community of practice

  • Capacity building

  • Advocacy

  • Partnerships

• Why behavioural science should never be treated as something “only for PhDs”

• How BSPHN is redesigning its approach to be more useful to practitioners and academics

• Why we need to stop hunting for quick-win “magic fixes” and take complexity seriously

⭐ Standout Moments

📌 Paul on moving from clinical settings into public health:

“The origins of the behaviours I was trying to change had their roots in people’s childhoods… shaped by social and cultural circumstances.”

📌 Paul on community:

“Being a behavioural scientist or applying behavioural science can be a lonely business.”

📌 The best Room 101 moment:
The Behavioural Science Unicorn — the myth that tiny interventions must always create massive cost savings to be “worth it”.

🦄 Room 101: The Behavioural Science Unicorn

Paul would send this idea into Room 101:

The belief that behavioural science is only valuable when it produces simple, tiny, low-effort interventions with huge measurable impact and cost savings.

Yes nudges can be powerful.
But chasing mythical “unicorn wins” can stop teams from doing the deeper work of embedding behavioural science in systems, services, leadership, and culture.

📚 Mentioned in the Episode

Paul’s book: Do I Drink Too Much? 
A practical, psychologically-informed guide to reflecting on alcohol use and exploring a strategic break.

📅 BSPHN Conference 2026 (Don’t Miss This)

Paul also shares details of the upcoming BSPHN conference:

🗓 8–9 March 2026
🎯 Theme: Complexity — using behavioural science to make complexity more manageable (without dumbing it down)

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