Claudiu Florea's Key Ideas from Priceless
by William Poundstone

Charm Pricing: Anderson (University of Chicago) & Simester (MIT) worked with a mail order firm to print different versions of its catalogue. They found an item sold 30% more when priced at $39 than $34. Buyers deem prices ending in a 9 as better value than those that don’t.

Loss Aversion: Losing money hurts more than gaining the same sum delights. Imagine betting on a coin toss. If it’s tails you lose $100. The average person requires heads to pay out £200 to take on the bet. Money we have is around twice as valuable as money we don’t have.

Anchoring & Adjustment: Malouff & Schutte had groups read a personal injury case. When the defence lawyer requested $100k the “jurors” awarded $90,333. A group with a £700k demand awarded $421,538. The original prices acted as anchors from which the groups adjusted down.

Ultimatum Game: Imagine you’re given £10 & asked to offer a 2nd person a split. If they accept, you both get your share. If not, neither do. Research by Werner Güth found most recipients reject offers of £2 or less. We’re willing to forgo gains if we think they’re unfair.

Wealth Effects: If you received $10 you’d be happy. How much would you need to be twice as happy? The rational answer is $20. But research by S. S. Stevens found people require $40 to double the joy of receiving $10. The relationship between money & happiness is not linear.