Essays
Long reads on how we actually think, decide and live.
Why we keep score
Economists have a model. The rest of us have a Tuesday.
A short history of the late fee
Economists have a model. The rest of us have a Tuesday.
The case against the late fee
Most advice assumes a person who never existed.
Fairness is a social bargain
The story we tell afterwards is tidier than the choice we made at the time.
Reason is a reasonable kind of courage
The mind is built for a different world. It copes remarkably well with this one.
Fair enough
People will pay to punish unfairness. Markets have never quite accepted this.
Luck is a borrowed bet on the future
We are far better at explaining our choices than at making them.
The loyalty of the weather forecast
The mind is built for a different world. It copes remarkably well with this one.
Generosity is a public act of faith
Most advice assumes a person who never existed.
Doubt is a slow habit
We are far better at explaining our choices than at making them.
The weight of a debt
Owing money changes how people think, and not only about money.
The envy of the polite refusal
The evidence is clear, the incentives are not, and the incentives usually win.