Summer is often the time for light reading—cheap thrillers and steamy romance novels; a gossip magazine hidden inside the weighty Russian novel you’re pretending to read. However, just because your inbox is full of out-of-office replies and everyone else takes a mental vacation doesn’t mean you have to as well. Here are five reads published this year that we’re still thinking about. They’re as as engaging as they are enlightening, and you’re sure to remember them long after the last summer Friday has passed us by.
#1: Redefining Wrong in Poker, Politics, and Beyond
By Annie Duke
Blaming the oddsmakers or the odds themselves assumes that once something happens, it was bound to have happened and anyone who didn’t see it coming was wrong.
#2: Investigating the Irresistible: A Conversation with Adam Alter
By Elizabeth Weingarten
“It happened almost every night around 10 P.M. Some other part of my consciousness would guide my fingers towards other apps as if I was navigating a Ouija board.”
#3: The Psychology of Search Engines
By Danny Oppenheimer and Grady Klein
Psychologist Danny Oppenheimer and illustrator Grady Klein take the reader on a graphic adventure on the psychological science underpinning memory and search engines.
#4: Freeing Econ 101: Beyond the Grasp of the Invisible Hand
By Greg Rosalsky
Economists have widely embraced the behavioral economics revolution, but their textbooks have not. The “standard model” continues to dominate Econ 101 and introduce new generations to a neoclassical fantasyland.
#5: The Little-Known Behavioral Scientist Who Has Transformed Cities All Over the World
By Leidy Klotz
Cities around the world share common design features. Some of these can be traced back to one designer—and his behavioral scientist wife.
Bonus 1: What’s a Beer Worth? New Research Shows How Scarcity Affects Your Answer
By Alisa Yu
Picture yourself on a beach. You are basking in the hot sun, feeling incredibly thirsty. Fortunately, there’s a bar at the resort where you’re staying. It’s pricey, but it’s just a few steps away. How much are you willing to pay for a cold beer?
Bonus 2: Drinking, Fast and Slow: A Behavioral Scientist’s Guide To Summer Cocktails
By Editorial Board
Here’s a handy guide to six of our favorite cocktails drawing on a deep understanding of the behavioral science literature.
