7 Comments
User's avatar
Thomas Gifford's avatar

Very interesting Prof. Page. I am a 3rd year PhD student in Economics, interested in behavioral topics and have been struggling to deal with some of the points you write about in this post. I can't help but feel discouraged that some of behavioral economics has devolved into clever hair splitting, e.g. identifying a new bias in a new context, and that there are few policy implications that can be drawn from the research. As I start to narrow in on a dissertation topic (I am interested especially in the intersection of behavioral and environmental economics) do you have any advice as to how to avoid this trap?

Expand full comment
Lionel Page's avatar

It is common for a successful scientific field to eventually overdo what was initially appealingly novel in its approach. Standard behavioral economics results are still intriguing, and if you are interested in environmental economics, there are a few books on the interplay between the two fields that you might find interesting. Beyond specific applications, the future of behavioral economics will likely not involve merely chasing biases. In future posts, I will highlight several directions in which research is advancing at the frontier. You will also find a comprehensive overview of behavioral economics from that perspective in my book "Optimally Irrational."

Expand full comment
Promise Tewogbola's avatar

I am a 4th-year Applied Psychology PhD student specializing in behavioral economics and Optimally Irrational is a book I wish existed at the start of my doctorate. My advisor is a hardcore Skinnerian and his approach to behavioral economics downplays cognitive biases while placing more emphasis on how behavior is selected by consequences in the environment. In other words, behavior is neither rational or irrational but adaptive to the context. Because of my training, I'd consider myself relatively immune from "bias bias". I have purchased the book and subscribed to the blog and I look forward to learning more from you.

Expand full comment
Lionel Page's avatar

Thanks. Indeed I wrote it in large part for the next generation of behavioural scientists. I hope you like it!

Expand full comment
Matt Grawitch's avatar

Gonna bookmark this, Lionel, and I'm looking forward to the next 3. I'm in the process of updating one of my old PsychToday posts arguing that most cognitive biases probably don't cause systematic errors. Looking forward to linking to your upcoming posts.

Expand full comment
Matt Grawitch's avatar

Yeah, I saw that after making my comment. I hadn't paid any attention to the date (otherwise, I would have just given you props for the argument).

Expand full comment