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The Unreasonable Human
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Data stories

Original analysis, told plainly and shown honestly.

AttentionBehaviourDecision-makingDesignEconomicsFairnessHappinessIdeasInstitutionsLoss aversionMarketsNudgesPsychologyRationalityRisk
Data story

Loss aversion at the checkout

We tracked 40,000 baskets. Shoppers paid more to avoid a loss than to secure the same gain — every time.

By Alina Petrova9 Sept 20269 min read
Illustration of a bare tree over a faint grid, overlaid with rust-red, pale blue and black-spotted circles
Data story

Measuring fairness, one lottery slip at a time

We are far better at explaining our choices than at making them.

By Alina Petrova19 Feb 20268 min read
Illustration of a bare tree over a faint grid, overlaid with rust-red, pale blue and black-spotted circles
Data story

What 9,000 receipts say about trust

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

By Alina Petrova29 Sept 202510 min read
A lone figure climbing a pale stone staircase towards an arched window filled with light
Data story

The shape of the round number

The cost is obvious, the benefit is diffuse, and so the benefit loses.

By Alina Petrova29 Jan 20257 min read
Illustration of a bare tree over a faint grid, overlaid with rust-red, pale blue and black-spotted circles

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