Are You Shopping Irrationally?

Many of us have a tendency to attach labels to the money flowing into and out of our hands—“wages,” “windfall,” “bills,” “leisure,” and so on—and to treat the money differently depending on where it came from or how we’re using it. In behavioral economics this is called mental accounting, and it can lead to some irrational personal-finance choices. On this episode, the Chicago Booth Review Podcast looks at how researchers are mapping the mental connections we’re making between various expenses, and how those research insights can help consumers and marketers make better decisions.