Nudge, nudge theory: David Cameron's guru shows how to cut student sex

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Dr David Halpern told a Lords' inquiry some were indulging in nocturnal activities to ape their boastful peers — but in reality these braggers were not living it up as much as they claimed.

By shattering the myths around sex and alcohol excesses at universities, students could be persuaded to adopt healthier lifestyles, said Dr Halpern.

He is the £100,000-a-year head of the behavioural insight team at the Cabinet Office, which is looking at how the public can be persuaded to change behaviour. It is inspired by "nudge theory", which argues governments should make it easier for people to make better choices. At a House of Lords inquiry into changing people's conduct, he said individuals got "locked in" to behaviour they thought friends were enjoying.

Dr Halpern added: "Sometimes there's a route through that, where essentially what you want to do is make more explicit a certain behavioural norm.

"An example is alcohol consumption in students, where most appear to overestimate how much others drink [and] overestimate how much sex other students have. Simply providing that information is an interesting corrective."