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virginiareads's review against another edition
4.0
4.25 stars
I'm reading this for a Behavioral Finance class. I read it on Kindle through Amazon Prime and then bought the paperback for easier reference.
This is more of a memoir than I realized but it also goes into some detail on some of the common biases Humans have. I have a (traditional) Finance degree and remember (x number of years ago) when I was taking those finance classes thinking this isn't/can't be the real world. He and others in the field of behavioral economics/finance distinguish between Econs (the ones we learn about it traditional finance classes) and Humans (me, my friends and family, and the clients I have worked with over the years.)
I'm familiar with many of the players Thaler talks about in the book, so I didn't feel it was name-dropping as I've seen some reviews say, but rather giving credit to those who paved the way or helped him find his way. This is an entertaining book, but those without a finance or psychology background may find some of the details cumbersome or dense. Thaler seems like he could be a fun guy to hang out with. But you'll probably want to bring your own cashews.
I'm reading this for a Behavioral Finance class. I read it on Kindle through Amazon Prime and then bought the paperback for easier reference.
This is more of a memoir than I realized but it also goes into some detail on some of the common biases Humans have. I have a (traditional) Finance degree and remember (x number of years ago) when I was taking those finance classes thinking this isn't/can't be the real world. He and others in the field of behavioral economics/finance distinguish between Econs (the ones we learn about it traditional finance classes) and Humans (me, my friends and family, and the clients I have worked with over the years.)
I'm familiar with many of the players Thaler talks about in the book, so I didn't feel it was name-dropping as I've seen some reviews say, but rather giving credit to those who paved the way or helped him find his way. This is an entertaining book, but those without a finance or psychology background may find some of the details cumbersome or dense. Thaler seems like he could be a fun guy to hang out with. But you'll probably want to bring your own cashews.
virginiareads's review against another edition
4.0
"....economics is supposed to be a theory of everyone, not only experts. An expert billiard player might play as if he knows all the relevant geometry and physics, but the typical bar player usually aims at the ball closest to a pocket and shoots, often missing. If we are going to have useful theories about how typical people shop, save for retirement, search for a job, or cook dinner, those theories had better not assume that people behave as if they were experts. We don’t play chess like a grandmaster, invest like Warren Buffett, or cook like an Iron Chef. Not even “as if.” It’s more likely that we cook like Warren Buffett (who loves to eat at Dairy Queen)."
"As-if!" Cher, from the movie Clueless.
"As-if!" Cher, from the movie Clueless.
mlannie's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
Straight fire on the jokes and examples but dang was he meticulous in going through every behavioral economist who has every lived
marisa_n's review against another edition
4.0
I like the premise and examples. Some chapters were fascinating, some were a bit dull and hard to get through.
jstuartmill's review against another edition
4.0
I studied economics in college and have grown rather bored with it over the years, switching my career to software engineering. This book was a reminder to me of the people still doing interesting work in the field. The book is very easy to follow and was a real page turner for me.