Empowering Behavior Change with Cognitive Insight with Siobhan Mitchell of Noom
Siobhan Mitchell is a PhD Neuroscientist & Senior Director of Academic Research at Noom, the company helping people take control of their weight and health through behavior change.
In this episode of Let's Talk Limbic Sparks, Siobhan reveals the science behind how behavior change successfully becomes a long-lasting habit, and how her work helps people identify and achieve their underlying goals.
Siobhan shares details about how she applies neuroscience understanding and research at Noom, and why this neuro-based approach is more effective at empowering and motivating people to be in control of their choices while feeling good about they way they are living their life. We discuss how her and her team's insights inform product development, member experiences, and the use of brand language to frame Noom activities, counselor discussions and brand messaging.
Key Takeaways and Soundbites:
“The thing that really makes me excited is that I'm finding something new every day that no one has ever known before.”
“The only way that people will have behavior change is if they want to do it.”
“Behavior change is fascinating because it really is all about people adapting different types of habits to their own personality.”
“Behavior change is really about knowing the tricks that work for you and being able to bundle them in a way that you can sustainably do them again and again, by planning it out until it becomes habit.”
“Those kinds of kinds of incentives, those motivations, that are emotional are so much more exciting for people than just saying I want to lose weight.”
“I think people go through a lot of their day not realizing the choices they're making, and I think when people are confronted by a choice, and it becomes really clear why one choice is better, then that's really exciting for them.”
“It took a while to understand that there's so much more you have to do than just tell them (people) something is good for them... it's not about just giving information, it's about giving them the tools to take that information.”
Here are some fun facts about Siobhan…
Siobhan Mitchell is currently the Senior Director of Academic Research at Noom. She completed her biomedical science PhD at SUNY Albany, and a post-doctoral fellowship on neuropharmacology at University of Washington. Siobhan has held roles at Unilever R&D, Nestle Institute of Health Sciences and PepsiCo R&D, where she conducted research in Europe, North America and Asia, innovating on products to improve brain function. Dr. Mitchell has over 20 years of cognitive research experience, and holds seven patents on mood and cognitive products. At Noom, she leads a team who investigates habit formation and behavior change via programs for weight loss as well as mental health.
“The most successful brand leaders focus on what people care most about.”
“Helping people learn new habits starts with psychology.”
Siobhan is Sparking Brand Desire with Emotional Insight.
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