Thaler Wins Nobel For Proving People Are Stupid

It's truly a testament to the methodical pace of academic recognition that the Nobel Prize has finally acknowledged what most of us have observed during any trip to the supermarket: people are, bless their hearts, quite the chaotic variables. This year’s award to Richard Thaler for his pioneering work in behavioral economics is, therefore, less a surprise and more a formal, gold-plated nod to the obvious. One can only imagine the sheer delight among economists who have long clung to models of perfectly rational actors, now tasked with integrating the jarring reality of human fallibility.

Indeed, the field of Behavioral economics has valiantly tried to make sense of why we buy things we don't need, save less than we should, and generally prefer immediate gratification over long-term prosperity. It's a noble pursuit, elevating the study of our inherent quirks – our delightful array of Cognitive biases – from mere observational comedy to Nobel-worthy science. The implication, of course, is that society is essentially one enormous, elaborate scheme to trick ourselves into making slightly less terrible decisions. A profound revelation, truly.