Peter Whybrow

Cultural shifts in perceptions about the human body and brain, how the brain reacts to scarcity, abundance and social situations, and how modern Western society and market economics are straining our body’s limits and making us sick physically and mentally.

Why Online Dating Is So Unsatisfying

Super cool behavioural economist Ariely explains the design flaws behind online dating sites and why using them yields little success, averaging six hours online for each coffee date. One of Big Think’s 10 Most Popular Videos of 2010.

Irrational Economics

Beliefs about the labour market and irrationalities in how it really works. Ariely, an entertaining and charismatic behavioural economist, describes a number of psychology experiments in conditioning and motivation, and explains why workplace financial incentives aren’t effective beyond a certain point. Related: Daniel Pink talks about one of the same studies (an Indian workplace motivation experiment) in the animated RSA lecture Drive. Other Dan Ariely talks highlighted at Channel N: On Fake, and Tendencies of Irrational Behaviour.

Is the Pursuit of Happiness Making Us Miserable?

Lively and at times funny Australian debate between experts in diverse fields on “that fizzy burst of high caffeine goodness that we call happiness” and satisfaction: seeking it within vs. social and material pleasures. Produced by ABC, via FORA.tv.

Drive

The RSA has commissioned a wonderful series of hand-drawn animations from Cognitive Media, illustrating portions of their lecture series. This video uses audio from a talk on behavioural economics and motivation. Research has shown that financial incentives don’t work for work that requires thought. Why not? What does motivate people? Excellent explanation, using examples from research – now remixed with cool art. See also: the complete original lecture, and all the videos in the RSA Animate series.

[Image by AMagill.]

The Agencies Method and Cooperative Games

Dr. John Forbes Nash Jr. (probably the world’s most successful person with a diagnosis of schizophrenia) at the Nobel Laureate Meetings at Lindau, 2nd Meeting in Economic Sciences, explaining his prize-winning economic theories.

Left Brain, Right Brain: Human nature and political values

Trends in economics and politics including consumerism and changes in democracy, and how research into psychology, social networks and behavioural economics is relevant.

On Fake

Behavioural economist Dan Ariely explains his experiment in which wearing sunglasses perceived as designer counterfeits led people to cheat in an economic game. Amusing, nicely produced DIY video, featuring a great wardrobe. Check out more of his vids on Ariely’s YouTube channel (a very funny intro to his work: The Dan Ariely Show), and watch a lecture on irrational behaviour in the archives.

[Image by helgasms]

Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious

The Director of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development gives a talk on intuition. Decisions and heuristics, ecological rationality and behavioral economics, and related concepts. Some Q&A.

Nobelist Daniel Kahneman on Behavioral Economics

The Georgetown 2009 graduation ceremony included this short lecture by psychologist and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman on irrationality and how to promote rational decisions when “coherence is unachievable.” The FORA.tv enhanced player presentation includes an indexed transcript, more info and a bio. Here’s another, longer, 2003 lecture on decision analysis and another on “Deal or No Deal” decisions given at Princeton University in 2008.