Essays
Long reads on how we actually think, decide and live.
The price of being kind
Generosity looks irrational on a spreadsheet. Over a lifetime it is the best trade most of us ever make.
The limits of the calculator
Expected utility is a fine tool. It was never a description of anyone.
The pension that enrolled itself
Automatic enrolment is the revolution's great success. It is also its only one.
Why we wait for a sign
We are far better at explaining our choices than at making them.
The case against small talk
The evidence is clear, the incentives are not, and the incentives usually win.
What the tip jar teaches us about nostalgia
We are far better at explaining our choices than at making them.
Envy is a small kind of hope
The cost is obvious, the benefit is diffuse, and so the benefit loses.
The case against the round number
What feels like a preference is often just a default nobody questioned.
The luck of the receipt
Before we try to fix people, it is worth understanding what they are for.
A short history of the school run
We are far better at explaining our choices than at making them.
A short history of gossip
We are far better at explaining our choices than at making them.
What the free sample teaches us about boredom
It looks like a flaw in the person. Mostly it is a feature of the situation.