Behavioral economics is a field of knowledge and practices that studies the effect of psychological, cognitive, emotional, and social factors relating to decision-making by individuals and institutions. It assumes that human choices are not the result of careful consideration of costs and benefits, and that some aspects (e.g., defaults, framings, and anchoring effects) may influence an individual’s decision-making. Thus, the aim of this essay is to present some general aspects of behavioral economics and discuss its possible application in the promotion of healthy behaviors. One of the roles of health care professionals is to facilitate the adoption of healthy behaviors by the population. There is evidence of a positive influence of some behavioral economics concepts regarding the adoption of various health behaviors, such as food choices, physical activity, adherence to vaccination campaigns, and organ donation. Thus, it is believed that the appropriation of some of these concepts and insights may both promote healthier behaviors and support more effective actions to encourage these healthy behaviors.
