Essays
Long reads on how we actually think, decide and live.
The patience of the deadline
Before we try to fix people, it is worth understanding what they are for.
Why we wait for a sign
We are far better at explaining our choices than at making them.
Envy is a social bargain
Most advice assumes a person who never existed.
Envy is a social bet on the future
The mind is built for a different world. It copes remarkably well with this one.
Good enough, on purpose
Satisficing is not a failure to optimise. It is the only strategy that fits inside a day.
The risk of small talk
Not every irrational act is a mistake. Some are the point.
Hope is a slow bargain
The mind is built for a different world. It copes remarkably well with this one.
A short history of the empty diary
What feels like a preference is often just a default nobody questioned.
The case against small talk
The evidence is clear, the incentives are not, and the incentives usually win.
Why we tip more at lunch
What feels like a preference is often just a default nobody questioned.
Restraint is a expensive argument
It looks like a flaw in the person. Mostly it is a feature of the situation.
The argumentative mind
Alone we are lazy thinkers. In disagreement we become sharp. That is not a bug.