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Why psychological science is relevant to policy debates--and what policies might look like if they were better aligned with human nature.

by Peter Ubel

Peter Ubel is a physician and behavioral scientist at the University of Michigan, and author of Free-Market Madness: Why Human Nature Is at Odds with Economics -- and Why It Matters. See full bio

November 8, 2009

Obama is to a Colostomy like Hope is to a . . . ?

Would you rather experience a bad situation forever or for just six months? Any sane person would choose the temporary situation. Read More

October 23, 2009

Fat Lazy Neighborhoods?

If I told you that neighborhoods cause people to develop diabetes, would you believe me? And would that make you more or less willing to see your tax dollars spent researching ways to treat and prevent diabetes?

That is essentially the question my colleagues and I posed to a wide swath of Americans, and a question, we discovered, that polarizes people along political party lines. Read More

October 12, 2009

When Good Medical Care is All or Something

One of the greatest joys of practicing medicine is for me to understand where my patients are coming from, so I can best help them through their medical journey. I was reminded of this fact recently, when talking with a patient who had just come back to my primary care clinic after visiting the liver clinic to discuss his chronic Hepatitis C infection. Read More

August 19, 2009

Hitler's testicles and Palin's death panels

Did you know that Adolf Hitler had three testicles? You didn't? You're right—I just made that up. By mentioning the myth of his three testicles, I increase the odds you'll mistakenly believe it. Therein lies the brilliance of Sarah Palin's death panels. Read More

June 23, 2009

Tiger Woods and Healthcare Reform

American presidents have been trying to reform our healthcare system since at least the Nixon era, but with only limited success. Past reform efforts have failed for many reasons. For starters, the U.S. healthcare system is complex, with the medical industry making up almost 1/6 of our economy. Read More

May 22, 2009

Succulent Sandwiches and Consumable Calories: Who's Counting?

Last summer, New York City made a great stride toward promoting public health, by requiring chain restaurants to prominently publish calorie counts alongside their menus. This type of regulation holds the promise of improving people's eating habits, without restricting their freedom to order whatever they want. Read More

April 14, 2009

Feeling Conflicted about Greed

With jobs disappearing faster than a major league fastball, the public is understandably irate at the damage that greed has wrought upon our economy. Financiers destroy their companies, and our retirement portfolios, and then complain when their bonuses are less than 7 figures. Read More

April 9, 2009

Market rationality and hormonal logic

Studying economics in college at the dawn of the Reagan presidency, I learned about the wonders of free-markets. Read More

March 31, 2009

Jealous Jejunums and Descartes’ Legacy

A recent New York Times headline proclaimed that: "In Pain and Joy Of Envy, the Brain May Play a Role."

May play a role?! Where else does The New York Times think envy resides? In our hateful hearts? Our covetous colons? Our jealous jejunums? Read More

March 5, 2009

Heroin and Happiness

Quick: What do you get when you mix a Nobel Prize winner with a MacArthur genius? Read More

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