Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness [Expanded Edition]
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Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness [Expanded Edition] Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Richard H. Thaler (Author), Cass R. Sunstein (Author), Sean Pratt (Narrator),
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 4,046 ratings
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Every day, we make decisions on topics ranging from personal investments to schools for our children to the meals we eat to the causes we champion. Unfortunately, we often choose poorly. The reason, the authors explain, is that, being human, we are all susceptible to various biases that can lead us to blunder.

Our mistakes make us poorer and less healthy; we often make bad decisions involving education, personal finance, health care, mortgages and credit cards, the family, and even the planet itself.

Thaler and Sunstein invite us to enter an alternative world, one that takes our humanness as a given. They show that by knowing how people think, we can design choice environments that make it easier for people to choose what is best for themselves, their families, and their society.

Using colorful examples from the most important aspects of life, Thaler and Sunstein demonstrate how thoughtful "choice architecture" can be established to nudge us in beneficial directions without restricting freedom of choice. Nudge offers a unique new take - from neither the left nor the right - on many hot-button issues, for individuals and governments alike. This is one of the most engaging and provocative audiobooks to come along in many years.

Included in this recording are a bonus chapter and a Postscript that was added in the paperback edition.

Previous page
  1. Listening Length
    11 hours and 26 minutes
  2. Author
    Richard H. Thaler, see all
  3. Narrator
    Sean Pratt
  4. Audible release date
    February 23, 2009
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Gildan Media, LLC
  7. ASIN
    B001TY8DFA
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 11 hours and 26 minutes
Author Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein
Narrator Sean Pratt
Audible.com Release Date February 23, 2009
Publisher Gildan Media, LLC
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B001TY8DFA
Best Sellers Rank #98,672 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#185 in Sociology of Social Theory
#371 in Medical Applied Psychology
#445 in Stress Management (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
4,046 global ratings
Nudge your mind
4 Stars
Nudge your mind
Have you ever tried to set a new year resolution such as weight-losing but gave up in the end? Such things usually happen!For example, on Saturday morning, people might say they prefer exercising to watching TV, but once the afternoon comes, they are on the couch watching Netflix. How can such behavior be understood?The author of “Nudge”, Nobel behavioral economy award, introduced two factors, temptation and mindlessness choosing, to explain this phenomenon.The term "temptation" is easier to recognize than to define. We call something tempting if we consume more of it. Mindlessness choosing can be explained in many situations when people put themselves into an “auto-pilot” mode, in which they are not actively paying attention to the task at hand.We usually think we can decide for ourselves. In fact, many effects around us influence our behavior, and we even don’t know about them. That’s why most people will use some self-controlled strategies to overcome this kind of issues.By reading “Nudge”, we could understand these effects and use what the writer called “nudge”, a small and subtle pushes, to make decisions between real-world choices and then improve our life.While some of the anecdotes are funny, many of the writer’s proposals contain the America social and economic issues that will take a while to comprehend for a reader of a non-American.Until you are fascinated by these scenarios the author is addressing, I would suggest others read related books that explore in a much more engaging way.
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Top reviews from the United States

D. Albert
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books on Public Policy
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2024
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This is one of the best books on Public Policy. The reasoning behind nudging people towards decisions is explained well, the ethics and when to imply these principles is described and spelled out in an engaging and relevant manner.
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J. Kane
4.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Worth the Read for those into Poli.Sci., Econ., and all other Social Sciences
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2012
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First some quick comments, then some longer ones:

1) Anyone interested in the Social Sciences should get this. Parts of it are written as if the book were a guide to finance, but that was probably just a marketing ploy of some sort. The main thesis is really interesting and very refreshing for those interested in the somewhat stale and oversimplified "big vs. small government" debate.

2) I read this right after Kahneman's "Thinking Fast and Slow." Both are extremely similar, but Nudge is more to the point and more organized. "Thinking Fast and Slow" was still brilliant though.

3) All those reviewers who call this "manipulation" or some other "Big Government!!!" charge, I must say, probably didn't read the book. The authors address libertarian concerns multiple times, and with great consideration, throughout the entire book. Understanding what makes "libertarian paternalism" libertarian is an extremely important step in getting the authors' main point. Honestly, if anything, it made my political views MORE libertarian rather than less, so it's difficult for me to think of Nudge as a "defense of Big Brother" or some other right-wing nonsense.

4) The only inconsistency I came across (and I mention this below) is that when they talk about being "anti-mandate," they really mean being against public or consumer mandates. However, many of their proposals do implicitly involve mandates on businesses though, such as requiring that air conditioner manufacturers install a light that would tell the user when the filter needs replacement (which would save a good amount of energy). I am not opposed to this whatsoever, but it's important to acknowledge that it's still a government mandate, so it's not as libertarian as it first seems. However, it's still more libertarian than other conceivable alternative mandates that could be placed on the public to use less energy.

5) My take-away from the book: The authors spend a good amount of time describing ECONS and HUMANS, but not so much time describing why ECONS are so important for right-wing economists. This is also partly because authors' main objective, it seemed, was political. They describe their philosophy as "libertarian paternalism." They are libertarian in the sense that they (ostensibly) don't generally like the idea of the government "banning," "mandating," and "outlawing" economic choices, or making some economic choices extremely difficult for the consumer (for example if the government made all vehicles which get less than 20 MPG twice as expensive via taxes, and mandated that a consumer must wait 90 days before being able to register a low-MPG vehicle, whereas high-MPG vehicles could be registered immediately). However, the other part of their philosophy involves "paternalism"--a very dirty word to libertarians. The basic normative argument for paternalism is that the government has some role to play in guiding people toward better choices. In talking about "libertarian paternalism," they are saying that whatever the government does, it is going to have some effects upon the population, even if it is not explicitly trying to manipulate or persuade the public. So, instead, adopt smart policies (with predictable results) that guide the public toward a "good" direction, but allow individuals to opt-out if they wish. An interesting example they brought up involved organ donors. Turns out that there are some massive inter-country differences when it comes to the desire to donate organs. But is this because the people in each country have such massively different attitudes about it? No--the main variable is a simple one: Is the default option to donate, or not to donate? In the U.S., on our licenses, we have to check a box that confirms we want to be organ donors and, therefore, our default is that we are not donors. In other countries, the default option is that citizens are donors--but of course they are free to opt-out at any time.

Bringing it back to the ECONS vs. HUMANS debate is what makes a simple example like this so mind-blowing (for me, at least). The crucial key to understand is that, to the ECON, it makes no difference what the default is. The ECON always knows what s/he wants--if s/he wants to be a donor, and the default is "No," the ECON would instantly change it to "Yes," and vice versa. Simple as that. But HUMANS, on the other hand, don't do this. HUMANS have a massive, statistically proven bias toward the default option and, as a result, which route the government decides to go ends up making a massive difference. If the government decides that it's probably a "good" thing if most citizens are willing to donate vital organs, the authors argue, then it should keep the default at "Yes" and allow people to opt-out. (Notice that if the government simply mandated that everyone donate their organs, it would be paternalism outright, not libertarian paternalism.) The book is essentially a collection of examples like this, where the authors wish to enact policies that result in a better society/economy while staying true to the libertarian paternalist ethic. (One place where I think they slip a bit, though, is that they are more inclined to support "regulations" on businesses--but these regulations are of course mandates, however much they don't want to call them mandates. When they say they are against mandates, they seem to be more against regulating average citizens and consumers than regulating businesses.)

As I see it, the die-hard libertarian still has a valid argument to make. Basically, they can object to the nudge argument on purely political grounds, which would sound like this, "I don't give a crap if libertarian paternalism would result in a better economy or better society. The government has no right to--i.e., shouldn't--participate in manipulative policymaking." It's a fair political argument, but it doesn't cohere with the free-market argument, which states that free-market policies will actually result in a better economy. Nudge shows how free-market policies actually won't result in a better economy, in large part because the actors receiving, evaluating, and acting upon economic signals are HUMANS, not ECONS.

For those interested, I wrote an article about this type of stuff (and long before reading Nudge or much else in the way of behavioral economics) called "Unmasking the GOP's Faith-Based Economics" available @Truthout.org
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Tara M. Diversi
5.0 out of 5 stars Nudge for Health Professionals
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2010
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In Nudge, the authors' introduction immediately resonated with me as a dietitian. In it they discuss a hypothetical school cafeteria that incorporates wisdom from supermarket designers by `selling' products simply by placing them in different positions.

When I worked with clients, I told them what they should be eating, and what they shouldn't. My podiatrist tells me not to wear stilettos and my physio tells me that I should do my joint rehab exercises as well as, or instead of fun exercise.

Imagine if we could just gently nudge people in the direction of healthier choices, rather then simply telling them what to do. This is the concept behind the book Nudge.
I would recommend Nudge to anyone who is trying to promote better health to individuals, communities or within organizations.

Richard Thaler is a Professor at The University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. His co-author, Cass Sunstein is a Law Professor at the University of Chicago. Their research over the past 30 years has been in behavioural economics, looking at how people make decisions, and the science of choice.

Within Nudge the authors describe Libertarian Paternalism as a weak, soft, and non-intrusive type of paternalism because choices are not blocked fenced off, or significantly burdened. However, because they describe and encourage techniques for Governments, organisations and individuals to consciously attempt to nudge people towards making healthier choices, it still counts as paternalistic.

Those trying to nudge people into making better choices are Choice Architects, where they design and manipulate the environment to make it easier or more fun to make the most beneficial choice. Although this may be described as manipulative, it's important to note that there is no neutral design, whenever you design an environment; it will influence choices of your clients or customers. If you are responsible for designing a stairwell, you can make it easy to access, aesthetically pleasing, with natural light will encourage people to take the stairs over the elevator or escalator. If you are designing a menu, making healthy choices the default option will make it easier for customers to choose that option. If you design the stairwell or the menu that makes it easier for the least healthy option to be chosen, it will be. If you do nothing, you are not doing nothing, you are being a choice architect without considering the consequences.

Relevance to Health Professionals

All health professionals can all gain something out of ideas presented in Nudge. We understand the science and the why of health and medicine, but the barriers in getting clients to do, what we want them to do, for their own health, can be a challenge. Nudge uses numerous health examples, such as how a school cafeteria can help students choose healthier food; how we can increase organ donation; and strategies to increase compliance in taking prescription medicine.

Before you become a choice architect, it is important to understand the outcomes you are trying to achieve and determine whether any of the options suggested by Thaler and Sunstein:

* Making the healthiest option the easiest choice
* Making the healthiest option enjoyable
* Making the healthiest option the default choice
* Making unhealthy choices more difficult
* Giving incentives for choosing healthiest choices
* Giving positive feedback for choosing healthiest choices
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Top reviews from other countries

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Bruno Santos Cunha
5.0 out of 5 stars Nudge!
Reviewed in Brazil on June 17, 2020
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Apesar de relativamente novo (2008), "Nudge" já pode ser considerado um clássico da economia comportamental (behavioral economics), da teoria dos incentivos e da ciência das escolhas. De fato, a simples "presença" de Cass Sunstein (ganhador do Holberg Prize) e Richard Thaler (ganhador do Nobel Prize) como autores já diferencia o livro e, por si, torna a leitura recomendável.

Partindo da ideia de um "paternalismo libertário", Sunstein e Thaler desvendam uma verdadeira arquitetura das escolhas públicas e privadas, de forma a demonstrar como seria possível, a um só tempo, preservar a liberdade de escolha dos indivíduos (caractere libertário) e influenciar a direção das atitudes individuais em um sentido economicamente ótimo (caractere paternalista).

A fim de demonstrar que a suposta incongruência entre libertarianismo e paternalismo pode ser muito menor na prática cotidiana do que na teoria, os autores dissecam exemplos de arquitetura de escolhas nas mais diversas áreas de atuação humana: do incentivo à poupança e aos investimentos a questões saúde pública; do casamento a questões de sustentabilidade ambiental; de previdência à educação pública e privada.

Recheado de exemplos de como pequenos incentivos podem alterar substancialmente as escolhas individuais em direção a níveis ótimos, "Nudge" foge de estereótipos ideológicos pra mostrar uma realidade passível de mudança a partir de critérios racionais facilmente realizáveis. Enfim, um livro muito bom.
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Beginner Youtubertobe
5.0 out of 5 stars The is the precursor to Daniel Kahneman's book which is also a must read
Reviewed in Canada on April 22, 2020
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As an educator, I seek ways to guide my students better. after reading this book, I can say that it applies not only to governors and policymakers, which have been the majority of what this book aims to tackle, but also any person in the position to make decisions that impacts the wellbeing of others.

It redefines the idea of manipulation so that we, as a society, are aware how inevitable it is in our daily functioning but also how to make better educated and informed decisions, which is then true to our idealistic practice of freedom.
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Javier.
5.0 out of 5 stars Obra fundamental de la economía del comportamiento.
Reviewed in Mexico on December 27, 2019
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Es una obra básica para entender la implementación de políticas aplicando la economía del comportamiento. Junto con “Misbehaving” y Thinking fast and slow” ofrecen un panorama comprensivo sobre esta rama de la economía.
5 people found this helpful
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Jay Mehta
3.0 out of 5 stars The product is perfect as expected.
Reviewed in India on September 6, 2020
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The product is perfect as expected no issues there. Check out the uploaded image, the MRP of book is 499 and it is being sold at 599. I was not sure about the reason for this. Please refund the rest of the amount if it is not right way to price the product.
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Jay Mehta
3.0 out of 5 stars The product is perfect as expected.
Reviewed in India on September 6, 2020
The product is perfect as expected no issues there. Check out the uploaded image, the MRP of book is 499 and it is being sold at 599. I was not sure about the reason for this. Please refund the rest of the amount if it is not right way to price the product.
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Mnomad
5.0 out of 5 stars Something to think about
Reviewed in Germany on April 14, 2020
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Great book - the concept has a lot of practical applications. I purchased this for my 12 year old who had to read it for school. While he appreciated its value, some of the explanations were a little complex for him and dry.
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