Is the chance to win cash enough to change your habits? Stanford University in the United States is introducing a lottery system in a bid to cut peak time traffic. Drivers who enter or leave the campus outside the peak hours go in a draw to win between $2 and $50 each month, with the New York Times saying the scheme is unusual as it offers incentives rather than the penalties with congestion charging.

Businesses set up between friends, colleagues or old classmates have a greater chance of failing, according to economic research based on 3,500 venture capital firms set up between 1975 and 2003. It finds businesses established by people with particular, relevant skills have more chance of success than those set up by people linked by similar social or ethnic backgrounds.

We give to charity, feel good – and then feel we can indulge in a little “self-interest”. So blogs academic and author Dan Ariely in a post citing research about the unintended consequences of decisions. Decisions made earlier in the day influence those made later, he says.
“If you choose a mug over a paper cup for your morning coffee, you may later decide it’s okay not to recycle if a bin isn’t handy.”