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Put a bet on it: Can self-funded commitment contracts curb fitness procrastination?

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  • Spika, Devon
  • Wickström Östervall, Linnea
  • Gerdtham, Ulf
  • Wengström, Erik

Abstract

We investigate the use of a highly scalable intervention to help individuals achieve their physical activity goals: self-funded commitment contracts. Using a randomised experiment, we compare the effect of soft (non-incentivised) and hard (incentivised) contracts among 1629 members of a gym in Stockholm, Sweden. We find a significant positive impact of being offered a hard contract on monthly visits to the gym and the probability of meeting one’s contract goal. Relative to the control group, being offered a hard contract significantly increases gym visits by 21%, while being offered a soft contract leads to an 8% increase.

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  • Spika, Devon & Wickström Östervall, Linnea & Gerdtham, Ulf & Wengström, Erik, 2024. "Put a bet on it: Can self-funded commitment contracts curb fitness procrastination?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:98:y:2024:i:c:s0167629624000882
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2024.102943
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Gym attendance; Incentives; Commitment contract; Self-control;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • D01 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments

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