Essays
Long reads on how we actually think, decide and live.
Forecasting our own regret
We are poor at predicting how we will feel, and worst of all at predicting how much it will matter.
Rationality is a human endeavour
What economics, psychology and everyday life can teach us about making better decisions.
Why good people make bad decisions
Hypocrisy is the wrong diagnosis. The ordinary mind is simply built for a different world.
A short history of the borrowed book
The story we tell afterwards is tidier than the choice we made at the time.
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.
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.
The pride of the commute
A small decision, repeated daily, is a life. Nobody designs it that way.
The case against the round number
What feels like a preference is often just a default nobody questioned.
What the group chat teaches us about pride
Before we try to fix people, it is worth understanding what they are for.
Loyalty is a small bargain
It looks like a flaw in the person. Mostly it is a feature of the situation.