The zombies are coming

Thanks to Tim Bradley of OZ for sharing an example of low-key behavioral science in action from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The CDC has recently updated the Zombie Preparedness section of its website, which it originally posted ten years ago. On one hand, the section is clearly a joke. On the other hand, as one expert says, swap out the word “Zombie” for “Flood” or “Hurricane” and you have some pretty sound advice for disaster preparedness.

Few of us want to prepare for a major storm (or a pandemic), but framing the advice around a zombie invasion makes it fun and, according to the experts quoted in the article, effective.  It makes preparedness something people want do rather than something they feel compelled to do.