All thinkers

Cass R. Sunstein: 2 ideas worth knowing

2 ideas from Cass R. Sunstein, each explained in a minute and credited to the original work. Free on Savvy.

• Changing the default option can change behaviour more than a law can

  Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein showed that small changes to how choices are presented, like making retirement savings opt-out instead of opt-in, dramatically shift what people do…

  — Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

• A claim can become 'true' just by being repeated loudly enough

  An availability cascade is a self-reinforcing loop: a claim gets attention, its repetition alone makes it feel more plausible, and public pressure to agree pulls in more repeaters.…

  — Timur Kuran, Cass R. Sunstein, Availability Cascades and Risk Regulation

Five ideas worth knowing, every week

The week's best cards and a puzzle, credited as always. Free, unsubscribe any time.

Subscribe