Do you want batteries with your cereal? An example of behavioral economics in retailing
The last time I was at a local Target store, I noticed something strange. At the end of the cereal aisle, there was a display rack for batteries. Not something complementary like snack bars, or nuts, or hot chocolate mix. The rack had batteries, hundreds of packs of disposable batteries ...

Garbage nudge in India
Littering is a huge problem in India. How to solve the problem? One trash can uses a cute animal to attract attention.

A simple game that makes you think, “Wow, people can be really petty”
I came across a very interesting game theory example in the book The Survival Game. Let's you and I play this very simple game and analyze the best strategy.

Situations Matter — Book Review
An introductory story Before I get to the book review, I want to tell a short story. My friend's office had a problem. There were many times that clients would call, and no one would pick up the phone. The boss yelled at everyone for being irresponsible. But were the employees really ...

A trick to getting more booze in bars
image by Kyle May This tip comes just in time for the weekend. I read about the trick on Bundle, a great personal finance site. This article points out how you can possibly get more alcoholic drinks in bars, if you say the right words. Here are the details:

Can you guess what I am thinking? Focal / Schelling point experiment
[Update 7-28-11: ] I've learned this site needs some upgrading on the backend, and also there was an issue with the game theory archive page--for the meantime: try the following link: game theory archives. I'm working to fix these things, and new posts to resume on August 1. Today I want ...

The psychology of spending
Why do we buy things we don't need? What factors cause us to buy irrationally? These are a couple of the main questions of behavioral economics. Lately I've been writing about this topic over at the money site Bundle.com, where I am a community editor. A few of my friends have liked ...

How to catch a baseball during batting practice using game theory – Youtube video
I have never caught a baseball during batting practice. I got really, really close once in the Oakland Coliseum but I lost out to a competing fan. Perhaps my problem was strategy, or lack thereof. Longtime reader William Spaniel once caught four balls, and his trick was using game theory. William ...