Changing behavior is difficult. Approaches which focus on educating people about the consequences of behavior or providing incentives for performance often do not fare well. This dissertation contrasts such an approach with one that helps individuals deliberately engage the mind by encouraging richer and more diverse interactions with the behavior setting. While this engagement-based approach is likely applicable to a number of behaviors, it is explored here in the context of promoting outdoor physical activity.

To investigate this approach, 117 adults were randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions– Standard Care (schedule setting, commitment) or Engagement (awareness plans) – and asked to take at least three, 30 minutes outdoor walks each week for two weeks. Walking behavior was measured using surveys, walking logs, and accelerometers. Survey instruments were used to investigate changes in psychological well-being and satisfaction with the walking environment. Baseline measures were collected prior to the intervention.

Results show that individuals in both treatment conditions reported similar changes in walking behavior. However, only participants in the Engagement condition experienced significant improvements in multiple dimensions of psychological well-being. In addition, among participants who walked at low to moderate levels those assigned to the Engagement condition were more likely to obtain these psychological benefits. Individuals in the Engagement condition also reported being more satisfied with several distinct aspects of the walking environment. These changes in satisfaction were particularly strong for participants who walked with another person.

Overall, the findings indicate that strategies designed to help individuals deliberately interact and explore a behavior setting can be useful for promoting the adoption and maintenance of outdoor walking routines. These strategies may also make it easier for individuals to achieve other important benefits, including improvement in psychological well-being and enhanced perceptions of the local environment. Because deliberate engagement is able to leverage a number of powerful but often underappreciated cognitive and motivational forces, there is reason to believe that this behavior change strategy is valuable to a wide variety of behaviors and contexts.