Economic Psychology

Spread through the public in the form of popular stories, ideas can go viral and move markets - whether it's the belief that tech stocks can only go up or that housing prices never fall. Whether true or false, stories like these - transmitted by word of mouth, by the news media, and increasingly by social media - drive the economy by driving our decisions about how and where to invest, how much to spend and save, and more. But despite the obvious importance of such stories, most economists have paid little attention to them. Narrative Economics sets out to change that.

Following a remarkable epoch of greater dispersion of wealth and opportunity, we are inexorably returning towards a more feudal era marked by greater concentration of wealth and property, reduced upward mobility, demographic stagnation, and increased dogmatism. If the last 70 years saw a massive expansion of the middle class, not only in America but in much of the developed world, today that class is declining and a new, more hierarchical society is emerging. The new class structure resembles that of Medieval times.

Today's inequality is on a scale that none of us has seen in our lifetimes, yet this disparity between rich and poor has ramifications that extend far beyond mere financial means. In The Broken Ladder, psychologist Keith Payne examines how inequality divides us not just economically, but also has profound consequences for how we think, how our cardiovascular systems respond to stress, how our immune systems function, and how we view moral ideas such as justice and fairness.

How Netflix, Tesla, and Amazon Use Psychology to Close 40% More Sales While you're using outdated sales tactics, companies like Netflix, Tesla, and Amazon leverage cutting-edge psychology to dominate their markets. The difference isn't better products - it's understanding how customers truly think and make purchasing decisions. You'll Get: ✅ 50+ real case studies from Netflix, Tesla, Amazon & top brands ✅ Neuroscience-backed strategies that bypass logical resistance ✅ Digital psychology rules for online/social selling ✅ Step-by-step implementation plans you can use immediately ✅ ...

There is no such thing as value-free economics. All economic theories prescribe a unique meaning in life. What meanings are hidden in economic theories? How can we live a meaningful life, despite the meanings that economists and politicians promote? Many aspects of the economy are transforming, from personal job motivation to organization structures, human resource management, and production. This is the first book to integrate systematic empirical studies on meaning in life with economic theory, written by a leading researcher on meaning.

Have you ever felt like your wallet has a slow leak you can’t find?

In this sharp, funny and empowering guide, journalist Chris Kohler takes you through the rigged carnival of modern life, where the games are broken, the prizes are fake and somehow you’re paying $28 to park near...

The crime-infested intersection of West Fayette and Monroe Streets is well-known--and cautiously avoided--by most of Baltimore. But this notorious corner's 24-hour open-air drug market provides the economic fuel for a dying neighborhood. David Simon, an award-winning author and crime reporter...

Many of the prices we pay seem to make little sense. We shell out $2.29 for a coffee at Starbucks when a nearly identical brew can be had at the corner deli for less than a dollar. We may be less willing to give blood for $25 than to donate it for free. Americans hire the cheap labor of illegal immigrants to fix the roof or mow the lawn and vote for politicians who promise to spend billions to keep them out of the country.

The acclaimed New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller from Robert Cialdini—“the foremost expert on effective persuasion” (Harvard Business Review)—explains how it’s not necessarily the message itself that changes minds, but the key moment before you deliver that message. What...

Designers and managers hope their products become essential for users-integrated into their lives like Instagram, Lyft, and others have become. Such deep integration isn't accidental: it's a process of careful design and iterative learning, especially for technology companies. This guide shows you how to apply behavioral science—research that supports many products—to help your users achieve their goals using your product.

From the bestselling author of Thinking in Bets comes a toolkit for mastering the skill of quitting to achieve greater success Business leaders, with millions of dollars down the drain, struggle to abandon a new app or product that just isn’t working. Governments, caught in a hopeless...

NATIONAL BESTSELLER Poker champion turned business consultant Annie Duke teaches you how to get comfortable with uncertainty and make better decisions as a result in “the ultimate guide to thinking about risk” (Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit). “A big favorite among...

From the bestselling author of Thinking, Fast and Slow, the co-author of Nudge, and the author of You Are About to Make a Terrible Mistake! comes Noise, a revolutionary exploration of why people make bad judgments, and how to control both noise and cognitive bias.​ Imagine that two...

What if the real question isn't “Why are people poor?” but “Why do we still pretend it’s that simple?” In To Be Rich or Poor: Is It a Choice? Felix Edison delivers a courageous, thought-provoking journey into the truth behind economic disparity. With insight, empathy, and piercing honesty, this book explores the hidden forces that shape our financial outcomes: mindset, trauma, systems, privilege, resilience, and access. Through thirty powerful chapters, Edison dismantles harmful myths and reveals how poverty and wealth are never the result of a single choice, but rather the ...

An expert on the psychology of decision making at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business helps readers calibrate their confidence, arguing that some confidence is good, but overconfidence can hinder growth. A surge of confidence can feel fantastic—offering a rush of energy, even a dazzling...

Por que continuamos com dor de cabeça depois de tomar um remédio barato, mas a dor vai embora com uma medicação cara? Por que ostentamos em refeições luxuosas, mas queremos economizar vinte centavos em uma lata de ervilha? Sempre acreditamos que nossas escolhas são inteligentes e racionais, mas Dan Ariely joga por terra essas crenças com revelações surpreendentes que mudam a forma como entendemos o comportamento humano.

For centuries, economics was dominated by the idea that we are rational individuals who optimize our own “utility”. Then, in the 1970s, psychologists demonstrated that the reality is a lot messier. We don’t really know what our utility is, and we care about people other than ourselves. We are susceptible to external nudges. And far from being perfectly rational, we are prone to “cognitive biases” with complex effects on decision-making, such as forgetting to prepare for retirement.

Master the Science of Persuasion and Transform the Way You Sell. In Sales Psychology Decoded: The Neuroscience Behind Buying Decisions, sales expert FC Bohnke breaks down the latest psychological and neuroscientific research to explain why customers buy—and why they don’t. This isn’t just another book filled with buzzwords or fluffy motivation. It’s a practical, science-backed guide that empowers sales professionals to apply cognitive psychology and behavioral science in real-world selling. You'll discover: How the brain processes trust, urgency, and value What subconscious triggers...

Economic life is often regarded as a necessary evil to support one's family or a frustrating race to "get ahead". But that is a shame because seeing the economic aspect of life as a spiritual path has great potential to help us cheer up and experience richness, no matter what our financial situation. The Four Noble Truths is a classic teaching that provides the foundation of a wealthy outlook. With humor, examples, and simple instructions, this book illuminates the way to discover richness, from the inside out.

From acclaimed Atlantic staff writer and host of BBC’s podcast “The New Gurus” Helen Lewis comes a timely and provocative interrogation of the myth of genius, exploring the surprising inventions, inspirations and distortions by which some lives are elevated to 'greatness' - and others...