Why do people buy the stuff they buy? In classical economics, most models assume that consumers behave rationally. As you've probably noticed in your real life, in case after case, people don't...
========== Adriene: Hi, this is Crash Course Economics,
I’m Adriene Hill. Jacob: And I’m Jacob Clifford. So, when
economists make their models, they generally assume that people are rational and predictable. Adriene: But when we look at actual human
beings, it turns out that people are impulsive, shortsighted, and, a lot of times, just plain
irrational. Look! Balloons! Jacob: Today we’re talking about Behavioral
Economics and how people actually make decisions. [Theme Music] Behavioral economics is a subfield of economics
that focuses on the psychological, social, and emotional factors that influence decision-making.
That's not necessarily new. In fact, our old buddy Adam Smith, discussed it in The Theory
of Moral Sentiments in 1759. But generations of e...