Essays
Long reads on how we actually think, decide and live.
The tyranny of the default
Most of the choices that shape a life were never chosen at all.
The promise
A cheap, gentle, evidence-based way to make people better off. What could go wrong?
Envy is a social bargain
Most advice assumes a person who never existed.
The argumentative mind
Alone we are lazy thinkers. In disagreement we become sharp. That is not a bug.
The loyalty of the school run
What feels like a preference is often just a default nobody questioned.
A short history of the late fee
Economists have a model. The rest of us have a Tuesday.
The loyalty of the weather forecast
The mind is built for a different world. It copes remarkably well with this one.
Doubt is a slow habit
We are far better at explaining our choices than at making them.
What the round number teaches us about generosity
What feels like a preference is often just a default nobody questioned.
Fairness is a slow bargain
Before we try to fix people, it is worth understanding what they are for.
Expertise is a social kind of hope
What feels like a preference is often just a default nobody questioned.
The effort of the loyalty card
We are far better at explaining our choices than at making them.