Misbehaving
by Richard H. Thaler
Thaler's history of behavioral economics as he lived it: the anomalies list, fights with Chicago economists, mental accounting, the endowment effect, fairness, self-control, and the policy work that led to Nudge and a Nobel. It is funny, personal and the best account of how a field was born.
Read it if…
you want behavioral economics with the story of the people who made it.
Skip it if…
you want applied advice; it is intellectual history.
Three things you will actually use
- Humans are not econs; design for humans.
- Fairness matters to people more than models assume.
- Self-control problems are solved by commitment, not resolve.
Do this first
Read the chapter on mental accounting and find one account you keep that is costing you.
Our verdict
Funny and illuminating.
Compare with other Mindset books
Browse all Mindset book reviews or get the free Reality Code Cheat Sheet.
As an Amazon Associate, WisdomDeck earns from qualifying purchases. Links marked “Click to see” go to Amazon. We are not paid for opinions, prices and availability are not shown here and change on Amazon, and we never see your purchase details. Nothing here is medical, legal or financial advice.