Are we rational in our economic decisions?

rose marquez

In 2017, the American Richard H. Thaler received the Nobel Prize in Economics for his contribution to the development of behavioral economics, a new field of study that investigates how psychology affects finance. According to this discipline, human beings do not always act as rationally and practically as classical economic theory suggests, but their decisions are affected by biases such as confirmation, the tendency to seek and give more weight to confirming information. their beliefs, or that of immediacy, prefer immediate rewards to future ones.

The summer course 'Are we rational? Leaders in behavioral proposals and corporate happiness' delves into this new discipline that is not yet taught at the university, as it is a very recent area of ​​knowledge, but which already has applications in numerous fields such as public policy, where it is used to promote more desirable choices, such as saving for retirement or choosing healthier lifestyles. During the course, topics such as the poverty trap or techno-stress, a term used to describe the anxiety suffered by people who find it difficult to adapt to new technologies, are also addressed.

The course was given this Tuesday at the Madrid-Vicálvaro campus "and has been open to everyone, but it is of special interest to university students who want to train in this discipline, since companies are demanding more and more specialists" , explains Ana María Moreno, professor in the Department of Financial Economics and Accounting at the URJC and co-director of the course. Along with the seminars, there are behavioral game workshops, to learn in a practical way in the classroom, and the course has the participation of representatives from Mapfre, Beway or Auren to publicize the behavioral and corporate happiness programs implemented by these companies .