Abstract
One of the main challenges in the near future, will be to facilitate a wide-spread and generalized change of habits in the population. Chronic diseases risk sending health systems into default. Methods used until today have not worked but recent studies of social psychology and neuroscience show that it is possible to challenge bad habits through new approaches based on the “Nudge Theory”. These new approaches are based on principles opposite to those applied up today. They are in fact devoid of prescriptions or impositions but are based on self-empowerment and self-determination of the path towards change. The Healthy Habits Approach is an interesting experiment of active social change in Italy.