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Book review

The Unfinished Argument

Economists have a model. The rest of us have a Tuesday.

The Unfinished Argument by Leila Ferreira

Pale pink blossom on thin branches in front of a raw concrete wall
Blossom against a concrete wall, Lisbon. Photograph: The Unreasonable Human

The remedy is rarely exhortation. It is a change to the situation so that the easier choice is also the better one. Put a number on loyalty and it becomes a target; put a target on it and the number stops meaning what it meant. If you want to see loyalty at work, watch a queue form where there is no reason for one. Ask most people why they did what they did and they will give you a reason; ask them again a week later and the reason will have quietly changed.

Who should read it

A pattern this consistent is not a character flaw. It is a design feature, and design features can be worked with. Nobody sets out to be governed by the second opinion, yet it shapes an astonishing share of the ordinary day. Ask most people why they did what they did and they will give you a reason; ask them again a week later and the reason will have quietly changed. Understanding people turns out to be a more urgent task than changing them, and a great deal harder.

PsychologyLoss aversion
Alina Petrova
Alina Petrova — Editor-in-chief

Alina Petrova is a Year 12 student preparing to apply to university, and the founder and editor of The Unreasonable Human. She reads across psychology, economics, behavioural science and neuroscience, and writes about the gap between how people are supposed to decide and how they actually do.

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