Hate the game : economic cheat codes for life, love, and work / Daryl Fairweather.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fairweather, Daryl.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Game theory--Economic aspects.

Game theory.

Economics--Psychological aspects.

Economics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2025.

Summary:

The secret insights of economics, translated for the rest of us. Should I buy or rent? Do I ask for a promotion? Should I tell people I'm pregnant? What salary do I deserve? Should I just quit this job? Common anxieties about life are often grounded in economics. In an increasingly win-lose society, these economic decisions—where to work, where to live, even how to live—have a way of feeling fixed and mistakes terminal. Daryl Fairweather is no stranger to these dynamics. As the first Black woman to receive an economics PhD from the famed University of Chicago, she saw firsthand how concepts of behavioral economics and game theory were deployed in the real world—and in her own life—to great effect. Hate the Game combines Fairweather's elite knowledge of these principles with her singular voice in describing how they can be harnessed. Her great talent, unique among economists, is her ability to articulate economic trends in a way that is not just informative, but also accounts for life's other anxieties. In Hate the Game, Fairweather fixes her expertise and service on navigating the earliest economic inflection points of adult life: whether to go to college and for how long; partnering, having kids, both, or neither; getting, keeping, and changing jobs; and where to live and how to pay for it. She speaks in actionable terms about what the economy means for individual people, especially those who have the sneaking suspicion they're losing out. Set against her own experiences and enriched with lessons from history, science, and pop culture, Fairweather instructs readers on how to use game theory and behavioral science to map out options and choose directions while offering readers a sense of control and agency in an economy where those things are increasingly rare.

Contents:

Introduction

Inside game, outside game. Negotiating power ; Graduating into uncertainty ; Comparative advantage ; Game recap

Choosing games. Skill versus luck ; Rules and starting conditions ; Marginal benefit and marginal cost ; Cheating ; When to challenge the rules ; The value of winning ; Changing goals ; Game recap

Information is an advantage. Ultimatums ; Deception ; Fearing the unknown ; Negotiating under uncertainty ; Overthinking ; Mitigating risk ; Game recap

Dreams of dream jobs. Differentiating yourself ; Selecting the optimal employer ; Moving for a new job ; Creating the perfect resumé ; Preparing for a job interview ; Playing the interview game ; Curating references ; Unanimous decisions ; Game recap

Buying a home. Deciding to move ; Understanding the housing market ; Creating a housing budget ; Identifying needs and wants ; Avoiding common mistakes ; Bidding on a home ; Game recap

Workplace conflict. Workplace bullies ; Employee satisfaction ; Gender stereotypes in the workplace ; Evade or confront? ; Identifying enemies and allies ; Signaling strength ; Game recap

Getting promoted. The meritocracy myth ; The challenges of performance evaluations ; Backward induction: the secret path to victory ; Corporate hierarchies ; Influencing the kingmakers ; The importance of allies ; Game recap

Balancing family and career. Social pressures and gender norms ; Marriage is a game ; The benefits of commitment ; Marriage as a financial strategy ; Working while pregnant ; Unconscious bias ; Discrimination and the persistence of stereotypes ; Game recap

Knowing your worth. Reassessing inside options ; Understanding reference points ; Higher-order beliefs ; When the keep your mouth shut ; Signaling outside options ; Bluffing ; Knowing your worth ; Game recap

Optimizing your life. When optimizing isn't an option ; Saving ; Investing ; Rebalancing work and life ; Game recap

Selling a home. Assessing home values ; Preparing to sell ; Setting the price ; Selecting a buyer ; Game recap

A code for winners

Epilogue.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9780226838489

OCLC:

1468973534