The Why Axis Quotes

“If you are a policy maker, don’t apply bandages to old injuries when what we need is early, corrective surgery.”
― Uri Gneezy, The Why Axis: Hidden Motives and The Undiscovered Economics of Everyday Life

“Most of us don’t respond well to delayed gratification; we are much more interested in immediate rewards. This is why we procrastinate, fail to save as much money as we should for retirement, eat too much, and exercise too little.”
― Uri Gneezy, The Why Axis: Hidden Motives and The Undiscovered Economics of Everyday Life

“So here’s the big takeaway: if you want people to adopt new behaviors, the best tool is a one-two punch of social norms and pricing, which work as complements and build on each other.”
― Uri Gneezy, The Why Axis: Hidden Motives and the Undiscovered Economics of Everyday Life

“Our study suggests that given the right culture, women are as competitively inclined as men, and even more so in many situations. Competitiveness, then, is not only set by evolutionary forces that dictate that men are naturally more so inclined than women. The average woman will compete more than the average man if the right cultural incentives are in place.”
― Uri Gneezy, The Why Axis: Hidden Motives and The Undiscovered Economics of Everyday Life

“When you’re deciding whether to motivate someone, you should first think about whether your incentive might crowd out the willingness to perform well without an incentive”
― Uri Gneezy, The Why Axis: Hidden Motives and The Undiscovered Economics of Everyday Life

“Consider the following two scenarios involving a policy aimed at encouraging people to recycle soda cans. Scenario 1: Let’s say you live in a place where people aren’t paid to recycle soda cans. On a freezing morning you see a neighbor carrying a large bag, full of cans, on her way to the recycling center. Scenario 2: Your town has changed its policy. Now people can receive a five-cent reward for each recycled soda can. You see your neighbor carrying a large bag of soda cans to the recycling center. What do you think of your neighbor in Scenario 1? In Scenario 2? In the first scenario, you probably think that your neighbor is an environmental steward—a citizen of high character, doing her part for the environment. But once the small, five-cent-per-can reward is in place, you might think that she is either cheap or really down on her luck. “Why,” you might ask yourself, “is she going through so much effort for such a small compensation? Is she a miser?”
― Uri Gneezy, The Why Axis: Hidden Motives and The Undiscovered Economics of Everyday Life

“We all assume that offering people money will get them to do what we want. But let’s say you go into a bar after work. You meet someone attractive, and you sense the feeling is mutual. You buy each other drinks and have an interesting conversation. After a while, you say, “Hey, I really like you! Want to come back to my place?” Who knows? You might get lucky. But what will happen if you add, “I’m even willing to pay you $100”? You’ve completely changed the meaning of the interaction and insulted the other person by effectively turning him or her into a prostitute. By adding a monetary value to your interaction, you’ve essentially destroyed what might have blossomed into a nice relationship.”
― Uri Gneezy, The Why Axis: Hidden Motives and The Undiscovered Economics of Everyday Life