Free Market Madness

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"We humans aren't entirely rational creatures. We decide to roll over and hit the snooze button instead of going to the gym, then fret over our health insurance payments. We take out home loans we can't possibly afford. We live hours away from our jobs when free time is our most valued asset. All too often, our subconscious causes us to act against our own self-interest." "Yet our free market economy is based largely on the assumption that we do act in our own self-interest. In this book, physician and behavioral scientist Peter Ubel argues that the combination of human nature and free markets can be downright dangerous for our health and well-being. That government must step in and further regulate the markets that reward those who exploit our weaknesses. And in the end, that good policy must take human nature into account - our rational and irrational sides, our strengths and our weaknesses." With examples gathered from many disciplines, Ubel shows that by understanding and controlling the factors that go into our decisions, we can all begin to stop the damage we do to our bodies, our finances, and our economy as a whole.