#608 Moshe Hoffman & Erez Yoeli - Hidden Games; Game Theory and Irrational Human Behavior
Dr. Moshe Hoffman is a Research Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Lecturer at Harvard’s Department of Economics.
Dr. Erez Yoeli is a research scientist at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, where he directs the Applied Cooperation Team (ACT). His research focuses on altruism: understanding how it works and how to promote it.
They are both authors of Hidden Games: The Surprising Power of Game Theory to Explain Irrational Human Behavior.
In this episode, we focus on Hidden Games. Topics include: aspects of human behavior that game theory explains; motives and incentives, and why we are oblivious to them; how learning shapes beliefs and tastes; rationality; spillovers; primary and secondary rewards; proximate vs ultimate analyses; the emic-etic distinction; Nash equilibrium; human cooperation; norms and punishment; why we process information according to game-theoretic principles; moral philosophy from a game-theoretic perspective; nudges; and beliefs, and where they come from.
Time Links:
Intro
What aspects of human behavior is game theory best suited to explain?
Why are we so oblivious to the motives and incentives behind our behavior?
How learning shapes beliefs and tastes
Rationality, and functionality
Spillovers
Primary and secondary rewards
Proximate vs. ultimate analyses
The emic-etic distinction
Does what people say matter?
Nash equilibrium
What sustains human cooperation
Norm enforcement, and punishment
Why does our brain process information according to game theory mechanisms? Are these evolved?
Is moral philosophy simply emic?
Can we use game theory to nudge people into making better choices and being more “moral”?
What are beliefs, and where do they come from?
Follow Drs. Hoffman and Yoeli’s work!
Follow Dr. Hoffman’s work:
Faculty page: https://tinyurl.com/y7g2ubal
Website: https://tinyurl.com/yboyxvxu
ResearchGate profile: https://tinyurl.com/ybxwknfs
Twitter handle: @Moshe_Hoffman
Follow Dr. Yoeli’s work:
University page: https://bit.ly/3HHH9mg
Website: https://bit.ly/3J4Z3Rz
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/35UHlS2
Twitter handle: @erezyoeli
The book (Hidden Games): https://amzn.to/35WgRPL