Temptation bundling exercise strategies pair something enjoyable with something effortful — and can increase workout consistency. But do they actually work?
📌 TL;DR
Temptation bundling — pairing something enjoyable with something effortful — can increase gym attendance. In a large-scale field experiment, giving people a good audiobook to listen to while working out made them go more often. This effect lasted for 4 months after the experiment was over.
What is temptation bundling and why does it matter?
We all know we should exercise. But knowing isn’t doing.
One reason we struggle is present bias: the tendency to prioritize immediate rewards over future benefits. Exercise pays off later — but watching Netflix pays off now. Enter temptation bundling: a behavioral strategy that pairs a “want” (like a show or audiobook) with a “should” (like working out), turning guilt-free pleasure into motivation.
But how does it work?
Temptation bundling: the experiments
In several large field experiments with over 6,800 fitness club members, researchers tested whether temptation bundling could help people exercise more.
Participants were divided into three groups. All groups received $0.22 worth of Amazon points for each gym visit they logged during the 4 weeks of the experiment. We already know that getting paid may help people to get started with a habit. However, the positive effect fades as soon as the rewards stop. So how do you keep people going? In this study, therefore, the experimenters tried whether coupling working out with something desirable (listening to an audiobook) helped. The researchers randomly divided people into different groups:
- Group 1: received a free, engaging audiobook (curated from bestsellers)
- Group 2: received the audiobook plus encouragement to listen while working out (see image)
- Control group: received no audiobook or instruction
Researchers tracked gym check-ins during the experiment (4 weeks) as well as for a period after the payments stopped.
Temptation bundling leads to 10-14% more gym visits…
…and the effects last for up to 17 weeks
The group that got both the audiobook and the bundling suggestion went to the gym 10–14% more often than the control group — and the effect lasted up to 17 weeks.
Interestingly, even those who only received the audiobook — but no suggestion to engage in temptation bundling — still exercised more than the control group–but this effect lasted only for about four weeks after the experiment was over. The researchers call this an example of “information leakage”: people intuitively applied the bundling idea on their own. And it works.
How to start temptation bundling in your own life
Temptation bundling works — and not just in theory. Giving people a “want” that pairs naturally with a “should” (and nudging them to connect the two) can build habits that last. Even better: once people understand the strategy, they can apply it in other contexts — like saving podcasts for commuting, or treating admin work as a coffee-only task.
You can try this yourself:
- Only watch your favorite series while folding laundry
- Save your best podcast for runs or transit
- Keep admin + your go-to café as a linked ritual
Bundling won’t fix all behavior gaps. But it makes “shoulds” a little more doable — by making them a little more fun.
Related articles on the Behavioral Times
🔗 Should you pay people to go to the gym?
🔗 Stop throwing information at people – this is how behavior change actually works
📚 Reference
Kirgios, E. L., Mandel, G. H., Park, Y., Milkman, K. L., Gromet, D. M., Kay, J. S., & Duckworth, A. L. (2020). Teaching temptation bundling to boost exercise: A field experiment. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 161, 20-35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2020.09.003
Image source: Figure 1, reproduced under fair use for educational purposes. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2020.09.003
