Nudge: Introduction

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein (Penguin, 2009)—reviewed by Steve Gladis, Ph.D.

If you’ve ever clicked on the “recommend” option for installing a computer application or program, picked a Chick-fil-A sandwich from the front of its stacking rack, or purchased the suggested extended warranty contract, then you’ve been NUDGED. In this entertaining and informative book about how certain things move us to make automatic (less than reflective) decisions, Richard Thaler (an economics professor at the University of Chicago) and Cass Sunstein (a professor at the Harvard Law School) have written a classic, much like Tipping Point or Freakonomics. Fortunately, they’re both tenured profs and can afford to write such readable stuff for the rest of us. Thanks guys!

This week I’ll cover a few of the key elements, but I highly recommend a close, personal read of Nudge.