Essays
Long reads on how we actually think, decide and live.
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.
What the loyalty card teaches us about envy
It looks like a flaw in the person. Mostly it is a feature of the situation.