Global behavioral sciences conference highlights societal change and enhances individuals’ well -being
Abu Dhabi, April 30 / WAM / The first day sessions of the World behavioral science conference 2025 discussed the prominent event that is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dhiab bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the Presidency for Development Affairs and Families of Martyrs, advanced axes in behavior science and ways to employ it in supporting public policies and enhancing the well -being of individuals and societies.
The UAE’s hosting of this conference confirms its firm commitment to enhancing knowledge exchange, developing evidence based on evidence, and advancing the innovation wheel to achieve a tangible impact locally and globally. One of the sessions dealt with the axis of “the transformation of social norms as an introduction to unleashing economic capabilities in the UAE”, with the participation of His Excellency Abdullah bin Touq Al -Marri, Minister of Economy, and highlighted how social norms emerged and spread, the need to break the negative patterns of them, and encourage positive norms that accompany the state’s aspirations.
Practical experiments were reviewed in the application of behavioral interventions that contributed to changing societal behaviors, such as reducing energy, food and water consumption, and the session raised fundamental questions about the possibility of employing social norms to achieve development capabilities in the twenty -first century.
The “behavioral trends across 70 countries” session discussed the results of a recent study entitled “Global behaviors and stereotypes”, which dealt with various behavioral features across various peoples, with a special focus on the Middle East and North Africa region, and speakers stressed the importance of adapting behavioral policies to take into account various cultural and social contexts. In a session entitled “Tomorrow Tools”, the pivotal role of behavior science was reviewed in enabling future generations to deal with technology challenges and artificial intelligence, where speakers discussed ways to achieve a balance between digital benefits and psychological and behavioral risks to children, and evidence strategies were presented to enhance interactive learning and protect mental health in light of the increasing dependence on screens.
The conference witnessed a session entitled “Maintaining the effectiveness of antibiotics using behavioral visions”, which dealt with the crisis of antimicrobial resistance and ways to address them by changing harmful behaviors, such as the random use of medicines in medicine and agriculture, and speakers stressed that the challenge is not only in developing new drugs, but also in directing societal behavior towards good use of the drug, through initiatives led by local partners And two countries.
The session “strengthening ties between societies” shed light on the importance of social cohesion in light of the cultural pluralism that distinguishes the UAE, as it includes more than 200 nationalities, and how to employ behavior science to enhance harmony and societal communication has been discussed in a way that ensures the effective contribution of this diversity in building a prosperous future.
The session “Building Skills of Adults: Increasing Productivity in the Change World” discussed the rapid challenges related to technological and demographic transformations, stressing the importance of developing individuals skills in digital literacy, the ability to solve problems, and adapt to new work environments, and policies and programs aimed at enhancing adult skills through active partnerships between individuals, institutions and governments were discussed.
The first day concluded with a workshop organized by the World Bank under the title “Measuring and Transforming Social Norms for the Impact of Policy”, during which innovative strategies were reviewed to measure social norms and understand their impact on human behavior.
The workshop discussed how to employ these data in designing effective policies that make a concrete societal change, based on data and interventions based on World Bank research in various fields.
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