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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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Ideas

What the shortcut teaches us about regret

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

By Alina Petrova22 Mar 20267 min read
People crossing a sunlit concrete hall
Ideas

The loyalty of the weather forecast

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

By Alina Petrova22 Nov 20257 min read
Illustration of a head in profile facing two overlapping rust-red circles and a cluster of thin vertical lines
Ideas

Envy is a slow form of trust

The cost is obvious, the benefit is diffuse, and so the benefit loses.

By Alina Petrova4 Sept 202512 min read
People crossing a sunlit concrete hall
Ideas

What the slow lane teaches us about loyalty

A small decision, repeated daily, is a life. Nobody designs it that way.

By Alina Petrova7 May 20257 min read
Illustration of a head in profile facing two overlapping rust-red circles and a cluster of thin vertical lines
Ideas

A short history of the queue

A small decision, repeated daily, is a life. Nobody designs it that way.

By Alina Petrova27 Mar 202510 min read
Pale pink blossom on thin branches in front of a raw concrete wall
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.

No spam. Just thoughtful ideas.