Tag Archives: behavioral economics

Train Your Brain to Spend Smarter: A Chat With BeyondThePurchase.org

A few months ago Linda Lombardi, a writer for the website Learnvest, asked us if she could conduct a Q & A to learn how our research helps people spend and save their money in ways that result in the most happiness. While … Continue reading

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Is the United States materialistic? The geography of consumption.

The belief that material possessions improve individuals’ personal and social well-being permeates America. However, contrary to this belief, multiple studies show that materialists, compared to non-materialists, have lower social and personal well-being. Compulsive and impulsive spending, increased debt, decreased savings, … Continue reading

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What is hedonism? A lesson from Dorian Gray.

I must admit, when I was in high school I was more likely to read the sports page of the Dallas Morning News than my English assignments. But, for some reason, there was one book that I couldn’t put down: … Continue reading

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You Know That Sex Sells. Do You Know Why?

Have you ever wondered why certain brands seem to add attractive models, for what appears no good reason? Well, here’s why. Take a look at this picture: You may not realize this, but this photograph will make you take more … Continue reading

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The Billionaire’s Brain: Do You Have One?

This week I am posting a guest blog by Dr. Daniel Crosby. I’m convinced that one secret of Warren Buffett’s enduring popularity is his “everyman-ness.” While “The Oracle” is insanely wealthy, he is also grounded and approachable which makes replicating … Continue reading

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Spoiler Alert — Vanity Sizing: How what you don’t, err, didn’t know is making you happy

I can say without hesitation (but with considerable vanity) that I wear the same size clothes now as I did 20 years ago. I’ve always fit quite well into jeans with a 31” waist. It was that way in college … Continue reading

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What drives us to get our bling on

According to the urban dictionary, the term bling came in to the modern vocabulary in the 1990s, possibly imported from Jamaica by American rappers, and meant to indicate either the imagined play of light bouncing off shiny jewelry, or the sound … Continue reading

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If everyone is winning, how come we all lose so much? The perils of hot stock tips

I have a friend — we’ll call her Ai — who has made some disastrous investment decisions. You see, Ai worked for a long time in the high tech sector, where Ai was exposed to a large number of tech … Continue reading

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The self-enhancement bias: Or, how I ended up with the Slap Chop

Recently, a friend of mine was asked how tall he was. He quickly replied, Do you mean in person or online? He was joking of course, but the joke is funny because we all know that people tend to, well… … Continue reading

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Sunshine on my portfolio makes me happy

There are armies of very smart, very well educated, numbers- and facts-focused people on Wall Street and in other stock exchanges around the globe. The sharpest minds from the best schools compete at the highest levels for any advantage at … Continue reading

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