Essays
Long reads on how we actually think, decide and live.
Kindness is a public bargain
Not every irrational act is a mistake. Some are the point.
A short history of the shortcut
The mind is built for a different world. It copes remarkably well with this one.
Patience is a stubborn way of keeping score
Most advice assumes a person who never existed.
Why we buy insurance for the wrong things
Before we try to fix people, it is worth understanding what they are for.
Reason is a stubborn tax on attention
Economists have a model. The rest of us have a Tuesday.
The case against a good excuse
Most advice assumes a person who never existed.
In praise of gossip
Not every irrational act is a mistake. Some are the point.
Attention is a borrowed habit
Most advice assumes a person who never existed.
In praise of the late fee
The cost is obvious, the benefit is diffuse, and so the benefit loses.
In praise of a good excuse
We are far better at explaining our choices than at making them.
Why we mistake fluency for truth
The story we tell afterwards is tidier than the choice we made at the time.
What the apology teaches us about hope
Economists have a model. The rest of us have a Tuesday.
