How is a street prostitute like a department-store santa? -- Why should suicide bombers buy life insurance? -- Unbelievable stories about apathy and altruism -- The chlorine solution and the jellyfish fix -- What do Al Gore and Mount Pinatubo have in common? -- Epilogue : monkeys are people too.

A colorful examination of why people do what they do-- observed through the lens of incentives that can spur people to achieve-- as reviewed by two superstars revolutionizing economics.

Examines the rise and fall of the efficient markets theory, the development of modern finance, and the rise of behavioral economics, in an account that draws on interviews with top thinkers while demystifying the ideas that forged the modern market.

Reasserts the necessity of an active government role in economic policymaking by recovering the idea of "animal spirits" (i.e. human psychology) and making it work for and not against us. They detail the most pervasive effects of animal spirits in contemporary economic life--such as confidence, fear, bad faith, corruption, a concern for fairness, and the stories we tell ourselves about our economic fortune--and show how Reaganomics, Thatcherism, and...

Why do smart people make irrational decisions every day? The answers will surprise you. This book is a look at why we all make illogical decisions. Why can a 50-cent aspirin do what a penny aspirin can't? If an item is "free" it must be a bargain, right? Why is everything relative, even when it shouldn't be? How do our expectations influence our actual opinions and decisions? In this book, the author, a behavioral economist cuts to the heart of our...

"Offers a fascinating and insightful account of what becomes of the stuff that we accumulate in our homes and lives. It's a powerful reminder of how the deeply personal acts of daily life are shared across families, cultures, economies, and countries, and an account of how one author's struggle to manage her family's clutter led to a deeper understanding of what matters most in all of our lives"--Back cover.

"In 2014, Liz Thames and her husband, Nate, were conventional young urban professionals working nine-to-five jobs. But the rat race had worn them down, and they dreamed of becoming modern-day homesteaders in rural Vermont. Determined to retire as early as possible in order to start living each day--as opposed to wishing time away working for the weekends--they enacted a plan to save as much money as they could. In less than three years, Liz and Nate...

As another year unfolded, lifestyle blogger and mom of three Miranda Anderson realized she felt weighed down by the mass of belongings her family had been accumulating. In an effort to pare down and cultivate a deeper sense of gratitude and abundance in their lives, she and her husband decided to embark on a minimalism challenge, where they would stop all unnecessary shopping for one year. It meant learning to use what they already had and being more...

A guide to the study of how and why you really make financial decisions While classical economics is based on the notion that people act with rational self-interest, many key money decisions-like splurging on an expensive watch-can seem far from rational. The field of behavioral economics sheds light on the many subtle and not-so-subtle factors that contribute to our financial and purchasing choices. And in Behavioral Economics For Dummies, readers...

A decade of swift and stunning change has profoundly affected the psychology of how, when, and why we shop and buy. In "Decoding the New Consumer Mind"," " award-winning consumer psychologist Kit Yarrow shares surprising insights about the new motivations and behaviors of shoppers, taking marketers where they need to be today: into the deeply psychological and often unconscious relationships that people have with products, retailers, marketing communications,...