Nudge

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1. Are the rich and famous smarter than you?

   2 november 2026 · 26 min

   Afspelen
   Today on Nudge, the $2.9m NFT that sold for 0.0097% of its original price, why so many footballers go bankrupt, and how you can beat the stock market. Lees meer

   I’m joined again by Alex Edmans, professor of finance at London Business School and award-winning author.

   He explains that the rich and famous aren’t as smart as you think they are.

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   Read my past newsletters: https://nudge.kit.com/profile

   Alex’s website: https://alexedmans.com/

   Alex’s book: https://alexedmans.com/madness/

   Alex’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aedmans

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   Today’s sources:

   Chatterjee, Arijit and Donald C. Hambrick, ‘It’s all about me: narcissistic chief executive officers and their effects on company strategy and performance’, Administrative Science Quarterly 52 (2007), 351–86.

   Ham, Charles, Mark Lang, and Nicholas Seybert, ‘CFO narcissism and financial reporting quality’, Journal of Accounting Research 55 (2017), 1089–135.

   Li, Yuanzhi and David Yermack, ‘Evasive shareholder meetings’, Journal of Corporate Finance 38 (2016), 318–34.

   Yermack, David, ‘Flights of fancy: corporate jets, CEO perquisites, and inferior shareholder returns’, Journal of Financial Economics 80 (2006), 211–42.

2. The fake AI veteran scam

   26 oktober 2026 · 28 min

   Afspelen
   It’s never been easier to scam someone online. Lees meer

   Now, AI-generated “pity scams” use fake injured veterans to sell cheap mass-produced products.

   They leverage three powerful psychological biases to persuade the masses.

   On today’s Nudge, I explain how and why it’s so hard to stop the scammers.

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   BBC’s fake veteran reporting: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgy0lz08keo

   BBC’s Jean Philanthrope reporting: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c60qkdjvx70ko

   Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults

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   Today’s sources:

   Bickman, L. (1974). The social power of a uniform. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 4(1), 47–61.

   Buell, R. W., Kim, T., & Tsay, C.-J. (2016). Creating reciprocal value through operational transparency. Management Science, 62(6), 1–23.

   Office for Veterans' Affairs. (2023). Perceptions of UK armed forces ex-service personnel. GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/perceptions-of-uk-armed-forces-ex-service-personnel

   Xygalatas, D., Mitkidis, P., Fischer, R., Reddish, P., Skewes, J., Geertz, A. W., Roepstorff, A., & Bulbulia, J. (2013). Extreme rituals promote prosociality. Psychological Science, 24(8), 1602–1605.

3. Is the stock market just vibes?

   19 oktober 2026 · 26 min

   Afspelen
   When Greece beat France in Euro 2004, the stock market shifted. When Allbirds rebranded as an AI company, its stock rose 600%. When British radio plays happy music, the FTSE improves. Lees meer

   So, is the stock market just vibes? Does national mood actually move the market?

   That’s what today’s guest on Nudge, Alex Edmans, is here to answer.

   Alex is a professor of finance at London Business School and an award-winning author.

   On today's show he explains why smart investors make crazy decisions (and how to exploit them).

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   Read my past newsletters: https://nudge.kit.com/profile

   Alex’s website: https://alexedmans.com/

   Alex’s book: https://alexedmans.com/madness/

   Alex’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aedmans

   Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults

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   Today’s sources:

   De Bondt, Werner F. M. and Richard Thaler, ‘Does the stock market overreact?’, Journal of Finance 40 (1985), 793–805.

   Edmans, Alex, ‘Does the stock market fully value intangibles? Employee satisfaction and equity prices’, Journal of Financial Economics 101 (2011), 621–40.

   Edmans, Alex, ‘The link between job satisfaction and firm value, with implications for corporate social responsibility’, Academy of Management Perspectives 26 (2012), 1–19.

   Edmans, Alex, Adrian Fernandez-Perez, Alexandre Garel, and Ivan Indriawan, ‘Music sentiment and stock returns around the world’, Journal of Financial Economics 145 (2022), 234–54.

   Edmans, Alex, Diego García, and Øyvind Norli, ‘Sports sentiment and stock returns’, Journal of Finance 62 (2007), 1967–98.

   Kahneman, Daniel and Amos Tversky, ‘Judgment under uncertainty: heuristics and biases’, Science 185 (1974), 1124–31.

4. Do AI bosses need to be famous?

   12 oktober 2026 · 23 min

   Afspelen
   I think Sam Altman of OpenAI has deliberately tried to build his fame. Lees meer

   While other CEOs keep a low profile, he spends 95% of his time evangelising.

   In this episode of Nudge, I explain why.

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   Today’s sources:

   Smith, R. K., & Newman, G. E. (2014). When multiple creators are worse than one: The bias toward single authors in the evaluation of art. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 8(3).

5. Why this man spent 3 years driving to Australia

   5 oktober 2026 · 36 min

   Afspelen
   Wiebe Wakker spent three years driving from the Netherlands to Australia. Lees meer

   Today on Nudge, we learn why.

   And we study the psychology of dedication.

   Listen to the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/7ec0a99ab3

   Warning, today’s episode contains explicit language.

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   Listen to the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/7ec0a99ab3

   Wiebe’s website: https://wiebewakker.com/en/

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   Today’s sources:

   Kruger, J., Wirtz, D., Van Boven, L., & Altermatt, T. W. (2004). The effort heuristic. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 40(1), 91–98.

   Söderlund, M.Söderlund, M., & Sagfossen, S. (2017). The consumer experience: The impact of supplier effort and consumer effort on customer satisfaction. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 39, 219–229.

6. Does male insecurity increase Ferrari sales? (And 6 more psych-myths)

   28 september 2026 · 24 min

   Afspelen
   Are men who are insecure about their manhood more likely to buy sports cars? Lees meer

   Do memes work for government communication?

   Does brand colour change the products we buy?

   And will an AI ever replace a police interrogator?

   These are some of the questions Jo Evershed, a psychological scientist and CEO, helps me answer on today’s episode of Nudge.

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   Connect with Jo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-evershed-36bba9/

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   Today’s sources:

   CX Lab. (n.d.). CX Lab case study [Blog post]. Gorilla Experiment Builder. https://gorilla.sc/blog/cx-lab-case-study

   Shang, J., Reed, A., & Croson, R. (2008). Identity congruency effects on donations. Journal of Marketing Research, 45(3), 351–361.

   Tasnim, A., Kwan, C., Chahboub, M., Liu, A., & Humairah, A. (n.d.). Saving trees one meme at a time: An investigation into how meme-style posts influence behavioural intentions to water street trees [Unpublished manuscript]. University College London.

7. The huge restaurant chains masquerading as independents

   21 september 2026 · 28 min

   Afspelen
   Every weekend, thousands of Brits order takeaways from independent restaurants. Lees meer

   Or do they?

   Because these independent restaurants aren’t actually what they seem.

   Pizza Hut, Prezzo, Frankie & Benny’s, Las Iguanas and many more chains are rebranding their food on delivery apps to appear like an independent restaurant.

   They’re exploiting our psychological bias for independent brands and fooling millions of diners.

   Find out how in today’s episode of Nudge.

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   Watch the Birdbox vs Frankie & Benny's Taste Test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqcZ_5NixfM

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   Today’s sources:

   Chen, S. [@StanYM]. (2024, December 22). I served McDonald's at a luxury food convention [Video]. YouTube.

   Hoskin, R. (2026, January 17). Big chains accused of masquerading as independent restaurants on delivery apps. BBC News.

   Lin, M. S., Sharma, A., & Ouyang, Y. (2020). Role of signals in consumers' economic valuation of restaurant choices. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 44(7), 1080–1100.

   Zhang, Y., Fishbach, A., & Kruglanski, A. W. (2007). The dilution model: How additional goals undermine the perceived instrumentality of a shared path. *Journal of Personality and Social Psychology*, *92*(3), 389–401.

8. I tested Rory Sutherland’s business advice

   14 september 2026 · 31 min

   Afspelen
   Nine months ago, I started to apply one of Rory Sutherland’s most common bits of business advice. Lees meer

   Today on Nudge, I share what happened and if I think it works.

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   Watch Veritasim’s video: https://youtu.be/HBluLfX2F_k?si=_M2NqN4KPbBabDoI

   Warning, this episode contains some explicit language.

9. The worst mistake to make on Dragon’s Den / Shark Tank

   7 september 2026 · 25 min

   Afspelen
   There’s one simple tactic that makes entrepreneurs 6x more likely to get funding. Lees meer

   At least that’s according to today’s guest on Nudge, Harvard Professor Leslie John.

   She’s spent her career studying decision-making and reveals why:

   - Flawed leaders inspire more trust

   - Authenticity gets you job offers

   - And how crying at work is perceived

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   Leslie’s book Revealing: https://amzn.to/3RkFTAq

   Leslie’s website: https://www.proflesliejohn.com/

   Join 12,199 readers of the Nudge Newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list

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   Today’s sources:

   Jiang, L., John, L. K., Boghrati, R., & Kouchaki, M. (2022). Fostering perceptions of authenticity via sensitive self-disclosure. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 28(4), 898–915.

   John, L. (2026). Revealing: The underrated power of oversharing. Riverhead Books.

   John, L. K., Jeong, M., Gino, F., & Huang, L. (2019). The self-presentational consequences of upholding one's stance in spite of the evidence. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 154, 1–14.

   Moore, C., Lee, S. Y., Kim, K., & Cable, D. M. (2017). The advantage of being oneself: The role of applicant self-verification in organisational hiring decisions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(11), 1493–1513.

   Wolf, E. B., Lee, J. J., Sah, S., & Brooks, A. W. (2016). Managing perceptions of distress at work: Reframing emotion as passion. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 137, 1–12.

10. Are metrics controlling your life?

    31 augustus 2026 · 35 min

    Afspelen
    Have you ever finished a book you dislike just to say you’ve finished it? Lees meer

    Have you loaded up Duolingo at 11:55pm to keep the streak alive?

    Have you felt the crushing disappointment of realising you forgot to record your run for Strava?

    If so, metrics might be controlling your life. And philosopher C. Thi Nguyen, my guest on today’s episode of Nudge, thinks that’s a problem.

    Nguyen believes that our lives are increasingly organised around metrics and that these rankings don’t just track what we value. They replace it.

    This episode contains some explicit language.

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    Get Thi’s book The Score: https://amzn.to/4fsqxTD

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    Today’s sources:

    Nguyen, C. T. (2026). The Score: How to stop playing somebody else's game. Penguin Press.

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