Norms: The Informal Rules that Govern our Lives

Norms are a fundamental aspect of social life, serving as informal rules that guide behavior and ensure societal cohesion. Despite their recognized importance, the precise role of norms in governing behavior remains a subject of debate, as they often intertwine with other influencing factors such as personal preferences, cultural values, and formal regulations. Recent advancements in economics, particularly the development of incentive-compatible methods for eliciting norms, have provided new avenues for exploring norm-based explanations of human behavior. These methods have enabled researchers to isolate the effects of norms from other variables, offering fresh insights into their impact on decision-making processes and societal outcomes. However, there remains a significant gap in understanding the conditions under which norms become the primary drivers of behavior, as well as the specific domains where they exert the most influence. Addressing these gaps is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between norms and human behavior.

This research topic aims to deepen our understanding of how norms interact with decision-making processes. Its primary goal is to discern the circumstances under which norms emerge as the predominant determinant of behavior. Additionally, it aims to elucidate the role of domain-specific norms, such as those related to health, education, and charitable giving, in shaping individual and collective action within society. By focusing on these objectives, the research seeks to provide a clearer picture of the mechanisms through which norms influence behavior and the extent of their impact across different contexts.

To gather further insights into the complex dynamics of norms and decision-making, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
• The predictive ability of social, personal, and/or descriptive norms for decision-making
• Norm-following behavior across different domains of life
• Interaction of norms and formal rules
• Cross-country studies with a focus on norms
• Methodological studies on norm elicitation methods

This research will be limited to studies that utilize experimental or empirical data, ensuring a robust and evidence-based exploration of the topic. By inviting contributions from diverse methodological perspectives, we aim to foster a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted role of norms in shaping human behavior.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review

Keywords: social norms, personal norms, descriptive norms, norm-following, context-dependent norms

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.