Freakonomics has no unifying theme, rather it has multiple themes. Although there is no unifying theme in the book, Levitt and Dubner have a recurring theme which states that “economists love incentives…The typical economist believes that the world has not yet invented a problem that he cannot fix if given a free hand to design the proper incentive scheme.” Freakonomics can described as the power of incentives and how one acts upon them. Similar to the definition of freakonomics, economics is the study of human behavior as it betrays itself in a murky cloud of incentives. As Levitt and Dubner portray in their book, an incentive is simply a means of urging people to do more of a good thing and less of a bad thing. The central idea can be that
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This is because parents feel guilty when picking up their child up late from daycare, but not when they have to pay a late fee charge. Parents don’t have a problem paying, in my opinion, it is a neurological and human behavior trait. Picking up your child late and feeling bad about it versus paying a fee and picking up your child late and not feeling bad about. It is almost as if paying the extra money justifies picking up your child late from daycare and saves the parent from feeling bad about it later. The guilt of driving on your parent’s tank of gas and being home later of when they asked you to be home. Consequently, I offer to pay my mom the money it costed to fill the gas tank. Another situation is not fully taking an advantage of the education I am being given. When not performing to my full potential, I feel guilty for not doing so and do some sort of chore and vow to work harder the following year. Feeling guilty about not doing something is a powerful motivator and an incentive to do better in the future. Not only in my life, but I think in almost everyone’s life, guilt is a better motivator than money. Guilt is a powerful incentive that makes that person want to change their …show more content…
The invention of the Internet made all of the “secret societies” and real-estate tactics extinct. There is nothing that one cannot search on the Internet and not find. Unfortunately, the same code names that the KKK used in the early 1900s are the same that they use today. Although the Ku Klux Klan is still existent, for the most part, their activities are not private. The most recent KKK event was that they fundraised for the Ferguson cop, Darren Wilson. The Internet is prohibiting secret societies like the KKK and experts like real estate agents to brainwash and exploit information out of us. In the early to middle 1900s, the KKK was allowed to remain secretive without any threat of information being confiscated. It was not until the invention of the Internet that threatened their existence of a secret society; with their secret codes like Mr. Ayak (Are You a Klansman) and Mr. Akai (A Klansman Am I) being exposed to the public. Real estate agents are in the same game as the KKK, they have their secret codes that sound good to the average person. Unfortunately, with a little bit of information digging, the real meanings of fantastic, spacious, charming, and great neighborhood can be found out. These terms are linked to lower sale prices unlike how granite and and maple contribute to higher sale prices. It is the information age, nothing can be hidden if looked for hard
This is because parents feel guilty when picking up their child up late from daycare, but not when they have to pay a late fee charge. Parents don’t have a problem paying, in my opinion, it is a neurological and human behavior trait. Picking up your child late and feeling bad about it versus paying a fee and picking up your child late and not feeling bad about. It is almost as if paying the extra money justifies picking up your child late from daycare and saves the parent from feeling bad about it later. The guilt of driving on your parent’s tank of gas and being home later of when they asked you to be home. Consequently, I offer to pay my mom the money it costed to fill the gas tank. Another situation is not fully taking an advantage of the education I am being given. When not performing to my full potential, I feel guilty for not doing so and do some sort of chore and vow to work harder the following year. Feeling guilty about not doing something is a powerful motivator and an incentive to do better in the future. Not only in my life, but I think in almost everyone’s life, guilt is a better motivator than money. Guilt is a powerful incentive that makes that person want to change their …show more content…
The invention of the Internet made all of the “secret societies” and real-estate tactics extinct. There is nothing that one cannot search on the Internet and not find. Unfortunately, the same code names that the KKK used in the early 1900s are the same that they use today. Although the Ku Klux Klan is still existent, for the most part, their activities are not private. The most recent KKK event was that they fundraised for the Ferguson cop, Darren Wilson. The Internet is prohibiting secret societies like the KKK and experts like real estate agents to brainwash and exploit information out of us. In the early to middle 1900s, the KKK was allowed to remain secretive without any threat of information being confiscated. It was not until the invention of the Internet that threatened their existence of a secret society; with their secret codes like Mr. Ayak (Are You a Klansman) and Mr. Akai (A Klansman Am I) being exposed to the public. Real estate agents are in the same game as the KKK, they have their secret codes that sound good to the average person. Unfortunately, with a little bit of information digging, the real meanings of fantastic, spacious, charming, and great neighborhood can be found out. These terms are linked to lower sale prices unlike how granite and and maple contribute to higher sale prices. It is the information age, nothing can be hidden if looked for hard