Yee Siang “YS” Chng
Behavioural Scientist
Behavioural Science is a diverse and exciting field with many career paths to explore, from shaping policy in government units to applying research in corporate settings and advancing knowledge in academia. This series features insights from professionals and academics, highlighting both the opportunities in the field and their journeys to their roles. Today, we hear from Yee Siang.
Yee Siang was the former Behavioural Insights Lead at Singapore’s Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment. His work focused on using behavioural science to support the ministry’s mission in making Singapore a sustainable and liveable home. He holds an MSc in Cognitive & Decision Sciences from University College London, a BSocSc in Psychology and Marketing from Singapore Management University, and a Specialist Diploma in Data Science from Singapore Polytechnic. In his spare time, he keeps a blog to discuss a variety of topics in science, social science and data science. A cheat sheet he created on statistical analysis is now one of the top Google search results.
1. How does your work help others or contribute to the world, and what motivated you to pursue this path?
I was first introduced to the field of behavioural science, or rather decision-making psychology, very early in my education at Singapore Management University, when I was taking a module in cognitive psychology by Professor Shenghua Luan. He was the one who opened my eyes to the work of Daniel Kahneman, Amos Tversky and Gerd Gigerenzer, and from then I knew that this was the area of psychology I wanted to specialise in. I later pursued an MSc in Cognitive & Decision Sciences at UCL, where I had the privilege to learn from the top decision-making researchers in London, as well as gain exposure to the behavioural science community in the UK.
As someone who strives to apply the knowledge I have gained to solve real world problems, I tried to use all that I’ve learnt to make a difference in the sustainability space. I have even written a blog article on how to use behavioural science to make recycling easier and better. I don’t consider myself to have made any significant contributions, but I am glad to be working in the sustainability space, as the work gave me the joy and purpose I was looking for in a career.
2. What skills or traits make you good at what you do and how have past experiences shaped/helped you (or not)?
A good behavioural scientist requires many skills from having a strong theoretical foundation to being familiar with statistical analysis. But if there is only one thing that we can pick, I would say having empathy and being able to think in the shoes of others is the most important.
While job descriptions don’t often list this as a requirement, constantly asking ourselves “how would someone else make sense of this” not only guides behavioural design, but also helps us to craft better survey questions and nudge interviews in the correct direction. Knowledge and skills can be easily picked up, but the quality of having empathy is the most precious.
3. How does your type of work fit with the rest of your life?
I’m always on the lookout for opportunities to improve my environment using behavioural science. For example, real estate agents in Singapore have a bad habit of spamming apartment residents with flyers to convince them to sell their apartments. Having no intention to sell my apartment, I decided to place a flyer box with a notice outside my apartment, informing flyer distributors that I am not selling my apartment and I will recycle their flyers. While this didn’t deter all flyer distributors, I certainly started receiving fewer flyers than my neighbours.
Another example where I applied behavioural science to my environment was when Neighbour A complained to me that he was receiving second-hand smoke from Neighbour B. Knowing how it’s not possible to simply ask Neighbour B to stop smoking, I helped Neighbour A to design a friendly notice to paste at Neighbour B’s smoking haunt, which not only showed that we understood his situation, but also provided him with alternatives on where he could smoke.
4. If money were no object or you knew you couldn’t fail, what project would you dedicate yourself to over the next decade, and why?
I believe I would still be trying to raise the awareness about the importance of taking behavioural science into account when we address the issue of climate change. I often hear skeptics say that changing human behaviour won't move the needle in the fight against climate change, yet human behaviour is at the root of this crisis that we are facing. If we continue to disregard the root of the problem that is changing consumption behaviours, even the best solutions in renewable energy and green technologies would not be able to last us for long.
I would encourage aspiring behavioural scientists who agree with my perspective to consider entering the sustainability industry through aspects other than behavioural sciences, because that would make you the best person to directly influence the field using your knowledge and mindset in behavioural sciences, as compared to someone else who does not see its potential.
5. If there’s one piece of advice you could give to your younger self or people in their early careers today, what would it be?
My advice to those who are new to the field and excited about diving into this area is to not forget about the broader outlook. Hone your skills in behavioural science, but at the same time, learn about what’s going on in other disciplines to have a more holistic perspective, instead of thinking that behavioural science is the answer to everything.
It’s not necessary to become a jack-of-all-trades, but find out how behavioural science overlaps with and differs from other schools of thought such as economics, data science, design thinking, user experience, and marketing research. If you’re able to speak the language of these different fields, you will become a more versatile and adaptable behavioural scientist.
Thank you so much, Yee Siang, for sharing your insights and advice with us today!