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Richard Thaler shares his approach to writing his new book, which includes providing concise takeaways for both economists and general readers. He emphasizes the value of making complex economic concepts accessible and engaging.

Richard Thaler shares a poignant memory of his mentor, Amos Tversky, who, while facing terminal cancer, emphasized the value of storytelling in learning. Thaler uses this lesson in his classes, arguing that stories help people understand complex concepts.

Richard Thaler discusses the concept of 'nudges' and how changing a simple form increased employee participation in savings plans from 50% to 90%. By automatically enrolling employees unless they opt out, companies can significantly improve participation rates.

Richard Thaler highlights the ethical considerations of nudges, noting that while they can be used to help people make better decisions, they can also be exploited for profit, as seen in the design of casinos and online gambling platforms.

Richard Thaler explains the 'winner's curse' using a classroom auction of a jar of coins. The highest bidder often overpays, illustrating how competitive bidding can lead to irrational decisions. This concept was first identified by engineers at ARCO when bidding for oil leases.

Richard Thaler highlights a clever experiment by Katie Milkman called 'temptation bundling,' where people are motivated to exercise by allowing themselves to listen to a favorite audiobook only while working out.

Richard Thaler highlights the concept of 'mental accounting,' where people irrationally categorize money, affecting their financial decisions. This concept is widely applicable and often leads to irrational spending behaviors.

Richard Thaler discusses the resistance he faced in academia when introducing behavioral economics. He recalls a time when he presented his theories on saving behavior to a psychology department, and the audience laughed because they found the traditional economic models unrealistic. Thaler points out that economists believed people behaved like expert billiards players, acting as if they knew physics, which he found absurd.

Richard Thaler and Danny Kahneman explored fairness in economics by asking if it's fair for a hardware store to raise snow shovel prices after a blizzard. Most people said no, except business school students, who believed it was justified based on microeconomic principles.

The podcast 'Nudge' by Phil Agnew focuses on small changes and new habits that can make a significant difference in marketing and sales.