Robert West

@robertjwest.bsky.social

Based at UCL. Researching tobacco use, human motivation and application of AI to behavioural science. Co-founder of Behaviour Change Wheel and COM-B model.

Videos

Robert, Rob, Bob, or Bobby West may refer to:Robert West (chemist), American professor of chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Robert West (painter), Irish artist, draughtsman, and teacher Robert West (politician), BNP politician and founder of the Christian Council of Britain Robert West (boxer), American boxer Robert West, American football player Robert Lucius West, Irish artist, draughtsman and teacher Robert Van Osdell West Jr., American entrepreneur in the oil and gas business Robert West (psychologist), professor of health psychology at University College London Bob West, American actor Bob West, character in 1977 British comedy Adventures of a Private Eye Rob West, a candidate in the Ontario New Democratic Party candidates, 1987 Ontario provincial election Robbie West, Australian rules footballer Bobby West (boxer), American boxer, opponent of Mark Kaylor in 1983 Bobby West (musician), pianist/composer on 1972 American album A Possible Projection of the Future / Childhood's End .. more

Chemistry 46%

Materials science 16%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Robert West @robertjwest.bsky.social · 3d

I think this conversation has been instructive and apologise to the anonymous person or bot for allowing them to illustrate important features of self-delusion. Today I will be demonstrating to plead with our government to show humanity to the hunger strikes. And this person or both will be blocked.

Robert West @robertjwest.bsky.social · 3d

The charge of assaulting a police officer relates to a different group of people. The person in that case is not on hunger strike. But again, this person illustrates another tactic - conflation with apparently hard evidence.

Robert West @robertjwest.bsky.social · 5d

Notice, the continuing reliance on insults and deflection. The discussion was about people on hunger strike, whom this person (assuming it's not a bot) appeared to imply had been violent and were seeking special treatment. This is all standard fare but instructive to see it in action.

Robert West @robertjwest.bsky.social · 5d

For anyone else who may be reading this, you may notice 1) the use of insult, and 2) deflection from the original facts in question. This happens when a party to a disagreement finds engaging with material facts too aversive to engage with.

Robert West @robertjwest.bsky.social · 6d

No one can surely be in any doubt that these people are being made an example of to deter direct action against the UK's complicity in genocide. It is now a simple dichotomy: Are you for or against the UK government's support for Israel's ongoing slaughter and displacement of Palestinians?

Robert West @robertjwest.bsky.social · 6d

To be clear. None of the hunger strikers are being accused of violence. The reported violence of PA obviously falls far short of anything that would normally be thought of as terrorism. It is reported and not confirmed. And the accused are being denied the usual rights of remand prisoners.

Robert West @robertjwest.bsky.social · 6d

The US Government has set out very clearly its plans for the US oligarchs (not its people) to dominate the world. They are not hiding it and have thrown out a challenge to countries such as the UK: The US does not see us as an ally but as a vassal state. youtu.be/idkurWogst8?...

This is Trump's new plan for US global dominance

YouTube video by Geopolitical Economy Report

youtu.be

Robert West @robertjwest.bsky.social · 6d

😂

Robert West @robertjwest.bsky.social · 6d

Please take a few moments to pressure the government to meet with the Palestine Action hunger strikers now. goodlaw.social/8f6640

Force the government to meet with the Palestine Action hunger strikers NOW

Palestine Action activists are in the middle of their hunger strike, and their situation is desperate. Some of them have not eaten for 46 days. They have been refused medical attention, their communic...

goodlaw.social

Reposted by Robert West

UCL Centre for Behaviour Change @ucl-cbc.bsky.social · 15d

Grateful if you can share!@martamarques.bsky.social @susanmichie.bsky.social @felixnaughton.bsky.social @uclbrainscience.bsky.social @uclpals.bsky.social @behaviourresuk.bsky.social @hbcproject.bsky.social @nihr-pru-bass.bsky.social @bsphn.bsky.social @robertjwest.bsky.social @socsocmed.bsky.social

Reposted by Robert West

ncsct.bsky.social @ncsct.bsky.social · 20d

We now offer an FAQs page on our website that answers the most common technical and training questions that you may have. You can access it here: www.ncsct.co.uk/publications....
You can also ask questions via enquiries@ncsct.co.uk
Please note: our new enquiries number is 01747 441648.

Robert West @robertjwest.bsky.social · Nov 24

You may be interested in this preprint that Sarah Jackson, Linda Ng Fat and I have just published on improved mental wellbeing following health-behaviour changes. If you have any comments or suggestions please let us know. www.qeios.com/read/NY0ZS1

Benefits to Mental Wellbeing from Making Positive Changes in Health-Related Behaviours: An Ultra-Rapid Review

BACKGROUND AND AIMS. Changes in health-related behaviours that have a longer-term impact on physical health have also been found in many studies to lead to relatively rapid improvements in mental well...

www.qeios.com

Reposted by Robert West

UCL Centre for Behaviour Change @ucl-cbc.bsky.social · Nov 4

📢 Submissions are open for the 2026 Behaviour Change Conference!
A fantastic opportunity to share your work & connect with delegates worldwide - all working toward a healthier, sustainable world 🌍
🗓 Deadline: 15 Dec 2025
👉 ucl.ac.uk/behaviour-change/conference
#BCConf2026 @be-change.bsky.social

Behaviour Change Conference 2026 - call for abstracts now open, submit by 15 December 2025. Image of conference venue.

Robert West @robertjwest.bsky.social · Oct 27

This will be a big one! www.linkedin.com/pulse/regist...

Registration for the Building Capability in Behavioural Research Conference 2026 Opens Today!

We are delighted to announce the Building Capability in Behavioural Research 2026 Conference will take place in the Teaching and Learning Building at the University of Birmingham. In partnership with ...

www.linkedin.com

Robert West @robertjwest.bsky.social · Oct 22

A flat white by any other name …
open.substack.com/pub/robertwe...

A flat white by any other name …

Why we need an ontology of milk-containing coffee drinks and other things ...

open.substack.com

Robert West @robertjwest.bsky.social · Oct 22

I've just heard what may be the funniest line ever in a detective story. It's in the brilliant Anthony Horowitz' novel 'Close to Death' whose audiobook is brightening up my gym experience. It is 'There was so much blood, even the police dog threw up.'

Substack

A flat white by any other name …

Why we need an ontology of milk-containing coffee drinks and other things ... Earlier today, I was in one of my absolute favourite cafes (Cinnamon Village in Tufnell Park, North London in case you live nearby) reflecting on superb fidelity of its coffees to the names given them and the fact that another café less than a mile away had the previous week served me what was supposed to be a cortado but was the wrong size, wrong foam …

Reposts 2 Oct 20

Substack

Unlocking Behaviour Change Podcast Episode 7: C is for Comparing

This is an edited transcript of Episode 7 of my and Jamie West's podcast in which we are currently exploring 'real-world' decision-making. This is an edited transcript of Episode 7 of my and Jamie West's podcast in which we are currently exploring 'real-world' decision-making.

Reposts 0 Oct 20

Reposted by Robert West

Joe Gitchell @jgitchell.bsky.social · Oct 7

Bigly recommend listening to the Unlocking Behaviour Change 'cast from #JamieWest (not sure of his blewski handle) and @robertjwest.bsky.social.

Lots of info and insight, entertainingly and efficiently conveyed.

#ChickenSexing

youtu.be/J0y2Bo4glfk?...

Unlocking Behaviour Change Podcast Episode 20: Notice the difference!

YouTube video by Unlocking Behaviour Change

youtu.be

Reposted by Robert West

Daniel Kotz @danielkotz.bsky.social · Sep 11

Robert West explaining the use of ontologies to support research on #nicotine and #tobacco use at the SRNT-E conference addictovocab.org @robertjwest.bsky.social

Reposted by Robert West

Behavioural Research UK (BR-UK) @behaviourresuk.bsky.social · Aug 5

👥📚 And are you interested in applying AI to your own behavioural research? Join our drop-in advice sessions with our AI webinar speakers @jannahastings.bsky.social , @robertjwest.bsky.social, and @susanmichie.bsky.social Michie beginning in September.
Sign up to a session today!

Section 4: BR-UK AI Help Desk | Behavioural Research UK (BR-UK) | Usher Institute

A soon-to-come initiative of bi-monthly online advice sessions supporting researchers in navigating this fast-evolving space.

usher.ed.ac.uk

Reposted by Robert West, John Drury

Shayoni Lynn @shayonislynn.bsky.social · Aug 3

#BehaviouralScience is not always about nudging. The authors @susanmichie.bsky.social @robertjwest.bsky.social argue "tackling the challenges facing humanity requires a collective, capacity-building approach" that boosts competences, opportunities, & motivations for individuals to act together.

Moving from nudging to boosting: empowering behaviour change to address global challenges | Behavioural Public Policy | Cambridge Core

Moving from nudging to boosting: empowering behaviour change to address global challenges

www.cambridge.org

Reposted by Robert West

Sarah Jackson @drsarahejackson.bsky.social · Jul 18

Our new paper provides up-to-date evidence on cigarette consumption across Great Britain.

🟡~28.6 billion cigarettes are smoked each year.

🟡There are persistent disparities across socioeconomic groups, regions, and nations.

academic.oup.com/ntr/advance-... @ntrjournal.bsky.social

Reposted by Robert West

Nick Hopkinson @copddoc.bsky.social · Dec 21

Taking virtue ethics for a spin. #PhilippaFoot

Reposted by Robert West

Akira Miyake @amiyake.bsky.social · Dec 27

Another paper that had a big impact on my thinking in 2024: a meta-analysis showing that behavioral change interventions targeting HABITS may be more effective than those targeting knowledge/beliefs/attitudes (@natrevpsych.bsky.social again!). Habit really matters! #psychology (a short 🧵1/3)

Determinants of behaviour and their efficacy as targets of behavioural change interventions - Nature Reviews Psychology

Changing behaviours might be central to responding to societal issues such as climate change and pandemics. In this Review, Albarracín et al. synthesize meta-analyses of individual and social-structur...

www.nature.com

Reposted by Robert West

Simon Christmas @simonxmas.bsky.social · Dec 28

Weird logic in the abstract, no? “We found that, across pointy metal objects in general, hammers were more effective than screwdrivers. Builders should therefore use hammers.” (Also, isn’t it a good idea to get someone to consent - knowledge, attitude, emotion - before you tinker with their habits?)

Reposted by Robert West

Akira Miyake @amiyake.bsky.social · Dec 28

You're right about the relevance of behavior, population, and context, so it's important to keep them in mind in interpreting the results of this NRP paper. At least they reported separate results for (b) heath and (c) environmental behaviors.

Figure 2 from the Albarracin et al. (2024) review

https://www.nature.com/articles/s44159-024-00305-0

Conclusions of our synthesis of meta-analyses of behaviour change interventions for all behaviours (panel a), health behaviours (panel b) and environmental behaviours (panel c). In all panels, individual targets of change are presented on the left and social-structural targets of change are presented on the right. Vertically, targets of change are organized from least to most effective based on the average effect sizes for each behavioural target (Fig. 1b; Supplementary Figs. 1 and 2), and grouped based on whether effects are negligible, small, medium or large (Table 1). Only meta-analyses that excluded extreme publication bias are included (Supplementary Note 1).

Reposted by Robert West

Brian Klaas @brianklaas.bsky.social · Jan 1

This is amazing: it’s incredibly windy in the UK right now, so only about 10% of the National Grid is currently being powered by fossil fuels.

Reposted by Robert West

Lynn Becker @cmgiulini.bsky.social · Jan 5

Who could have imagined a year ago the emergence of someone actually more dangerous than Donald Trump? How man-child Elon Musk exploits X and aligns with Authoritarians and Neo-Nazis to realize his intertwined goals of becoming unelected King of the World and its first trillionaire. wapo.st/3BTZShE