economics

Behavioral Economics

How real humans deviate from rational agents — loss aversion, nudges, mental accounting, and the predictable irrationality of economic decisions.

behavioral economicsloss aversionnudgeKahnemancognitive biasdecision makingheuristics

Classical economics assumes people are rational utility maximizers. Behavioral economics, pioneered by Kahneman and Tversky, reveals that we are systematically irrational in predictable ways. We feel losses twice as strongly as equivalent gains. We treat money differently based on its source. We are swayed by default options and framing effects.

These simulations explore the key findings of behavioral economics. Experience loss aversion viscerally by comparing gains and losses, see how nudges reshape behavior without restricting choice, discover the endowment effect that makes us overvalue what we own, and watch how social proof creates information cascades.

5 interactive simulations

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Endowment Effect & WTP vs WTA

Explore why owning something makes it feel more valuable — visualize the gap between willingness-to-pay and willingness-to-accept in Thaler's classic mug experiment

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Loss Aversion Experiment

Experience Kahneman & Tversky's prospect theory viscerally — watch how losses loom larger than gains and fair gambles feel negative

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Mental Accounting

See how identical dollars are treated differently based on their source — windfall vs earned money flows to different mental accounts in predictably irrational ways

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Nudge Architecture

See how default options, framing, and social proof dramatically shift behavior without restricting choice — the power of nudge architecture

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Social Proof & Information Cascades

Watch how rational individuals ignoring their own information creates cascading herd behavior — sometimes converging on the wrong answer