Freakonomics
Freakonomics
Lessons learned
Teachers cheat on tests when their pay depends on scores. Agents sell their own homes slower and for more. Before I judge behavior, I look at what it's being paid to do.
The drug dealer living with his mom, the real cause of the crime drop. The book is a reminder to check the data before I repeat the story.
A real estate agent, a doctor, a consultant. Their advice is shaped by what's good for them. I ask what's in it for the person telling me.
Half of the bad business decisions I've seen came from treating two things that moved together as one causing the other.
Whoever knows more wins the negotiation. Closing that gap, in either direction, is most of what selling is.
Who should read it
Anyone who likes being told the real reason something happens. It's the book that got me reading economics for fun.
