This website uses technical, customisation and analytical cookies, both first-party and third-party, to anonymously facilitate browsing and analyse statistics on use of the website. Learn more
Search results
-
Cashews, Coffee Mugs, and the Birth of Behavioral Economics
Ubel, Peter A.Book Chapter HBS-3938BC-EThe theory that human beings act rationally and in their own best interest has dominated economics since the publication of Adam Smith's influential book, "Wealth of Nations." More recently, however, research in psychology and economics has uncovered evidence that the opposite is true: people do not always make rational choices. This chapter looks at examples of irrational consumer behavior as it details the quest of some economists to show how i...Starting at €8.20
-
Marketing and the Science of Persuasion: Does Advertising Promote People's Well-Being
Ubel, Peter A.Book Chapter HBS-3945BC-EWe live in a capitalist society that is increasingly bombarding us with advertising. We exist in a world where many of the best psychology and neuroscience graduates are being hired by marketing firms or marketing departments within large corporations. These marketers are becoming increasingly sophisticated at targeting and persuading consumers. Many experts believe that advertising and marketing serve the interests of the general public, providi...Starting at €8.20
-
Bank Tellers, Fighter Pilots, and the Limits of Rationality: The Origins of Behavioral Economics
Ubel, Peter A.Book Chapter HBS-3937BC-EMuch of economic theory has revolved around the age-old assumption that humans make choices rationally and based on probability, or what we have learned from previous experience. Free markets operate under this assumption, even going so far as to frame the obesity epidemic as the result of personal choices made by rational individuals. In this chapter, physician and behavioral scientist Peter Ubel explores the origins of behavioral economics, whi...Starting at €8.20
-
Risky Feelings and Cigarette Breaks: The Irrationality of Choosing to Smoke
Ubel, Peter A.Book Chapter HBS-3943BC-EPeople make all kinds of risky decisions in their lives. Rock climbers and white-water rafters, for example, enjoy these activities because of the risk involved. Other risks, like riding your bike through congested streets to work, are worth taking despite the risk. We all accept that taking risks is often the rational thing to do. But what about smoking? Can we talk about rational decision making in the context of addictive drugs like tobacco? I...Starting at €8.20
-
Spacious Lawns and Long Commutes: The Irrationality of Choosing to Live in the Suburbs
Ubel, Peter A.Book Chapter HBS-3942BC-ESocial scientists have discovered in the last couple of decades that people's decisions are often biased by an inability to predict what will make them happy. Many economists, however, have overlooked or underemphasized the importance of people's emotional lives in their decision-making processes. Standard economic theory, for instance, holds that if commuting is a source of unhappiness, people will choose long commutes only if they believe such ...Starting at €8.20
-
Kinder, Gentler Paternalism: Why Restricting Consumers' Choices Can Be Good for Them
Ubel, Peter A.Book Chapter HBS-3939BC-EIs it ever appropriate to restrict people's liberties to protect them from their own bad decisions? One of the advantages of the nineteenth-century economic view of human nature is that it leads to straightforward answers to these kinds of questions. To almost any policy problem, the believer in rationality replies: leave it up to the market. But unfortunately, the freedom of personal choice has proven not to be the cure-all that its proponents c...Starting at €8.20
-
The Invisible Hand Meets the Unconscious Brain: The Pitfalls of Free Markets
Ubel, Peter A.Book Chapter HBS-3923BC-EFree markets have created tremendous wealth--of opportunity and of consumer goods. Free markets have encouraged the expansion of human liberties, giving people more choice in the workplace and in the shopping market. In theory, these liberties and choices should work out for the best. People will make choices based on their preferences and values. But with all the wonders of the free markets, comes the freedom for people to make bad decisions. Ta...Starting at €8.20
-
Is the Obesity Epidemic a Consequence of Rational Choices: The Pitfalls of Free Markets
Ubel, Peter A.Book Chapter HBS-3936BC-EMuch of the power of economics as a social science resides in its ability to reveal the logic underlying a wide range of human behaviors. Economists have developed mathematical tools that illuminate the kinds of cost-benefit calculations that influence people's choices. Indeed, economists have even done a good job of highlighting the rational choices that have contributed to something as problematic as the obesity epidemic. In this chapter, Peter...Starting at €8.20
-
Irrational Tastes and Bottomless Soup Bowls: Our Unconscious Eating Habits and What They Tell Us about the Pitfalls of Free Markets
Ubel, Peter A.Book Chapter HBS-3940BC-EFree markets operate under the assumption that human beings make rational choices about consumption. Some market enthusiasts have gone so far as to contend that even obesity is a lifestyle choice and, therefore, society should leave people alone to determine their optimal waistlines. Behavioral scientist and physician Peter Ubel, however, argues that it's actually the interaction of modern markets with genetics and social factors, and rational wi...Starting at €8.20
-
Can Government Combat Obesity Without Becoming a "Nanny State": Personal Freedom and Personal Well-Being Don't Have to Be Mutually Exclusive
Ubel, Peter A.Book Chapter HBS-3947BC-EPolitical extremists of all persuasions are often paranoid about the slippery slope, worrying that any tiny concessions they make will lead to complete absolution of their position. Free market enthusiasts would rather have a fat and free citizenry, for instance, than consider perceived interventions into personal liberties, even if those interventions are made on behalf of the health of the general public. In this chapter, behavioral scientist a...Starting at €8.20