Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

by Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness  
published April 8th 2008 by Yale University Press
binding Hardcover
isbn 0300122233   (isbn13: 9780300122237)
pages 224
description Every day we make decisions on topics ranging from the personal investments we select to the schools we pick for our children to the foods we eat to t...more
date added
01-07-08



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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 322)



Nina
Nina rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
06/30/08

Read in June, 2008
I really like a lot of the ideas presented in this book. I completely agree with their major points - that policies should pay close attention to the default option, and that one of the most effective ways of helping people make good decisions is complete and clearly presented disclosure. I know I complained that Ariely's book didn't take his theories far enough because he didn't talk about the implications of people's predictable irrationality, but now I'm going to complain that this book foc...more
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Ginnie
Ginnie marked it as to-read
05/12/08

bookshelves: economics, to-read
Just checked with my public library and the Library of Congress and on their authority I am changing the subtitle from "the gentle power of choice architecture" to the one above. - you may call me Ginnie the un-confused librarian. Even though the cover shows otherwise (it has been provided by an un-named third party) and I'n not technically smart enough to change it I still think the other information here is accurate. The 'description' at the top is from the Yale University ...more
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  4 comments

Beckie
Beckie rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/01/08

Read in May, 2008
recommends it for: Pretty much anyone--I'd be interested to hear the thoughts of the more econimically minded
Human beings do not act rationally in their own best interest. We are particularly ill-equipped to do so when it comes to decisions that are complicated and made infrequently--which tend to be our more important choices.
From this starting point, the authors of "Nudge" suggest a program of what they call Libertarian Paternalism, in which private companies and the government guide people in making good decisions. This does not mean making people's choices for them, but making the best ...more
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Erin
Erin rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
06/30/08

Read in June, 2008
I heard about this book months before it came out and anxiously awaited it. Accordingly, my expectations were high, and this book fell short. I have two beefs: 1) the more interesting question for me is whether the government should use these "nudges," not how it would work if they were to do so. Unfortunately, there were maybe 15 pages on this, and they were not well done. They mentioned Rawls for literally 2 paragraphs - that's a problem. 2) Maybe it's because I learned torts fr...more
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Steve
Steve rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
05/18/08

Read in May, 2008
Nudge has a great, simple premise: slightly push (i.e., "nudge") people into optimal decision making when those decisions are difficult and when the nudger has some reason to believe it can determine what choices are optimal. The theory--"libertarian paternalism"--seems like a framework that can bring together both sides of the political aisle and reduce the discord that occurs when political discussions are dominated by the far left and far right.

This is a very good b...more
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Guy
Guy rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/23/08

Read in June, 2008
I love the concept of Choice Architecture. It's seems this is what my job has evolved into over the last several years. I did not agree with some of the authors uses of paternal libertarianism; especially the one on marriage. Seems like they overlooked the notion of origin progressing to civil adoption. Since the origin of marriage is rooted in religious expression, how can the government make it stand without its origin?
I do think the principles, however, are fantastic. This book is...more
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Erik
Erik rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/30/08

A very interesting book about how to get people to make better decisions, while preserving their freedom to make bad ones.

The book touts a philosophy of "Libertarian Paternalism". Which may sound VERY alarming, but makes sense as you read the book. From helping school children choose the healthiest food to helping people save for retirement the book goes through many different examples of how a "choice architect" could help people make better choices.
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Snair
Snair rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
04/26/08

Read in April, 2008
An extremely clever book about 'choice architecture' & creating social 'nudges' to improve individual choice that are paternal-in-nature, but not mandated (holding true to core American values of freedom of action and independence).

Definitely a must-read for anyone interested in social 'planning' / improvement.
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Miriam
Miriam rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/26/08

Read in April, 2008
This is great non-fiction writing. The interspersed experiments about human decision making are captivating and unexpected. I thought the sections on investment, social security and health care were particularly pertinent. The chapters on environment and education seem somewhat less convincing.
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Tara
Tara rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
05/09/08

bookshelves: fromthelibrary, nonfiction, skimmed
Read in May, 2008
I'll sound like an old lady for saying this but the text was super tiny. And it read like a text book, so only read it if you need a headache or are researching the topic.
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Ben.sirolly
Ben.sirolly rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
06/20/08

For anyone who wants to know what I will be working on and researching for the next few years, read this book. It is a fun and interesting read that gets you to think about policy in a semi-scientifically informed, non-intuitive way.

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Scott
Scott rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
06/27/08

bookshelves: currently-reading
This book strives to be the next "Tipping Point" or "Blink" but falls short. Still it provides an at times engaging look at how the process of framing public choices can have great social and political consequences.
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Dave Murphy
Dave is currently reading it
06/24/08

bookshelves: currently-reading
Very interesting. One premise in the book is that society as a whole doesn't know what is good for itself and so we need to do our part to "nudge" it along. It is a pompous assumption.
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Matt
Matt rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/20/08

A engaging and interesting read. Altough I don't agree with all of the authors' ideas, they certainly give the reader something to consider. Well worth the read.
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Barb
Barb rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/01/08

Read in May, 2008
recommended to Barb by: Eric
I'm not an economist and rarely read economics books (or much non-fiction, for that matter) but this is an excellent book. I highly recommend it.
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Sophie
Sophie is currently reading it
05/28/08

bookshelves: currently-reading
Man. This book started out so well! It's getting really boring really quickly though.
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John
John marked it as to-read
04/10/08

bookshelves: to-read
Thaler is an endless source of interesting anecdotes and potentially useful wisdom.
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Sam
Sam rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/26/08

Read in April, 2008
I have to read this book for work. Aren't I a bit old for book reports?!
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Dana
Dana marked it as to-read
04/11/08

bookshelves: to-read
The guy who wrote Freakonomics likes it, so it's good enough for me!
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Stephaniedean
Stephaniedean is currently reading it
06/28/08

bookshelves: currently-reading
I can't stop reading this.
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book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 3.92 (52 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 3.92 (52 ratings)
number of reviews: 21






other editions

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness (Paperback)