iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

In this month's installment of Zen and Economics, I talk about the mysterious movement of Mars, being lost in a funhouse, and (of course) the topology of snakes. open.substack.com/pub/matthewg...

open.substack.com

Slip Slidin' Away

Not being sure which way is forward is a part of life

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Caught you staring. open.substack.com/pub/matthewg...

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

“My students are embracing altruism and reciprocity because they’ve never been taught how rent seeking works.”

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Reposted by Matthew G Nagler

koenfucius @koenfucius.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

Economic analysis that reflects cognitive dissonance explains better than standard analysis eg why •noninformational advertising works •Social Security/safety legislation is popular •flood insurance isn’t—Akerlof&Dickens (1982) HT @matthewgnagler.bsky.social buff.ly/Q6aAXQ8

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Reposted by Matthew G Nagler

koenfucius @koenfucius.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

No need for consumers to be irrational for incentives for deceptive advertising to be effective, argues @matthewgnagler.bsky.social. Bounded rationality—and notably cognitive dissonance (eg refusing to admit they’ve been deceived)—is a sufficient condition: buff.ly/V0Rz0xA

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Reposted by Matthew G Nagler

koenfucius @koenfucius.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

Behavioural economics has deep roots. This (1982!) paper by Akerlof and Dickens shows how cognitive dissonance can be woven into standard (rational) economic decision making models and more accurately predict actual behaviour: buff.ly/JhhamLh HT @matthewgnagler.bsky.social

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

I "continue as a guest" on the Plant Yourself Podcast with Howie Jacobson. In this episode, we range over the landscape of behavioral economics, pausing briefly to talk about my new work on cognitive flexibility. We also talk about Golden Balls. Wouldn’t you? plantyourself.com/golden-balls...

plantyourself.com

Golden Balls, Human Behavior, and Cognitive Flexibility: Matthew Nagler on PYP 628 - Plant Yourself

What can a game show teach us about human nature, and how to balance individual vs social needs and pressure?

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Fall is here and I am once again teaching micro to grad students

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Is the suspense killing you? 🥁 It must be time to read the latest edition of Zen and Economics! open.substack.com/pub/matthewg...

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

In the US we celebrate tech moguls who “move fast & break things,” yet we struggle with whether someone should have the right to declare their own gender identity My most recent Substack gets to the bottom of our conflicted ideas on cognitive flexibility: matthewgnagler.substack.com/p/dont-be-a-...

matthewgnagler.substack.com

Don't Be a Stranger

Cognitive flexibility is not a sin

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

The idea that journalism can be transformative is grounded in a sort of behavioral economics. The narratives we employ influence our thoughts and so inevitably our choices (by way of our preferences). Here’s what I wrote on the broader economics of this: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

At the library in Telluride, Colorado

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 15/03/2025

Not sure I want my coffee “brazen”

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 15/03/2025

Back to Crested Butte. Winter not over yet! ❄️

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

Calling these guys “misers” was a misnomer. Does anyone have better names for them?

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

Gratuitous Boulder-themed pic alert 🚨

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

If you’re looking for me I’m working at the Coffee Stand in Boulder this afternoon

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Started yet another book without having finished the others. As always the quandary: Where do I find a new bookmark?

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

“In a perfect contradiction we are urged to buy a ‘styled’ artifact because others are also buying it - that is,we are asked to express our genius by giving up our genius.” —James Carse

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

Why importing lumber from Canada poses a threat to national security

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

“You come here with a paper written in Word. Don’t you know how to use LaTeX?”

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

Why aren’t more public libraries like this?

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

Teaching grad micro with five TAs 👌🏼

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

A good conversation is a supermodular game: what you say and what I say are strategic complements. Not because we have a likeness of mind, but because we know - in a Wittgenstein sense - how to go on with each other.

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

Have you ever wanted to be in someone else’s shoes? Sure you have. You might like… trying to be in their head instead? matthewgnagler.substack.com/p/wouldnt-it...

matthewgnagler.substack.com

Wouldn't It Be Good?

The reason we want to be in someone else's shoes is we can't, without effort, be in their head.

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

Uh oh, this will be hard for an economist

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Just found out there are literally an infinite number of integers. This might be the biggest fraud in history.

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

Can we impose a 25% tariff on Canada Geese? Please??

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

You mean to say 15,000 years ago there were companies that introduced products which cut into the market share of their existing offerings?

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

The rule is you can only dislodge an earworm with an even worse earworm. So I offer: “She likes me for me.” open.spotify.com/track/28Wn8i...

open.spotify.com

Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)

Blessid Union Of Souls · Walking Off the Buzz · Song · 1999

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

This, but one step further. In life, there is always another play - either one we make ourselves or thru the people we’ve influenced. The game goes on, so W and L just don’t matter. open.substack.com/pub/matthewg...

open.substack.com

Why the Obsession with W and L?

Life is about living, not about taking stock

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

Great 🧵 by Ben Golub on the effects of tariffs with today’s modern supply chains

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

Very excited to report that my paper “Keeping You in Sight: The Role of Focusing Effort in Commitment to Goals” is now “out” in Economics Bulletin! Here’s a link to the published version: www.accessecon.com/Pubs/EB/2024...

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Happiness is a warm puppy with a Stata license

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Love is never having to say you’re sorry about your identification strategy

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Matthew G Nagler @matthewgnagler.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

Huge price hike on a drug that 80% of the world’s population is addicted to doesn’t sound like a winning policy proposal

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