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The Unreasonable Human
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Long reads on how we actually think, decide and live.

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Series

Regret is a social kind of hope

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

By Alina Petrova26 Jan 20259 min read
Illustration of a head in profile facing two overlapping rust-red circles and a cluster of thin vertical lines
Economics

In praise of the weather forecast

The mind is built for a different world. It copes remarkably well with this one.

By Alina Petrova21 Jan 202512 min read
Pale pink blossom on thin branches in front of a raw concrete wall
Ideas

In praise of the shortcut

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

By Alina Petrova9 Jan 202511 min read
A lone figure climbing a pale stone staircase towards an arched window filled with light
Ideas

Status is a reasonable bet on the future

Not every irrational act is a mistake. Some are the point.

By Alina Petrova28 Nov 202412 min read
Illustration of a bare tree over a faint grid, overlaid with rust-red, pale blue and black-spotted circles
Ideas

Generosity is a social bargain

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

By Alina Petrova21 Oct 202410 min read
Illustration of a head in profile facing two overlapping rust-red circles and a cluster of thin vertical lines
Psychology

Why we keep receipts

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

By Alina Petrova5 Oct 20246 min read
People crossing a sunlit concrete hall
Ideas

A short history of the apology

Before we try to fix people, it is worth understanding what they are for.

By Alina Petrova9 Sept 20249 min read
Pale pink blossom on thin branches in front of a raw concrete wall

Ideas worth reading. Every week.

Essays, data and ideas on economics, rationality and why we do what we do.

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