[Script Info] Title: [Events] Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.30,0:00:01.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What you have here Dialogue: 0,0:00:01.79,0:00:04.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is an electronic cigarette. Dialogue: 0,0:00:04.42,0:00:08.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's something that's, since it was invented a year or two ago, Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.46,0:00:10.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has given me untold happiness. Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.52,0:00:11.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.93,0:00:13.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A little bit of it, I think, is the nicotine, Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.96,0:00:15.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but there's something much bigger than that. Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.71,0:00:19.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Which is ever since, in the U.K., they banned smoking in public places, Dialogue: 0,0:00:19.88,0:00:24.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've never enjoyed a drinks party ever again. Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.72,0:00:25.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.96,0:00:29.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the reason, I only worked out just the other day, Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.79,0:00:31.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is when you go to a drinks party Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.83,0:00:33.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you stand up and you hold a glass of red wine Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.04,0:00:34.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you talk endlessly to people, Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.79,0:00:37.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you don't actually want to spend all the time talking. Dialogue: 0,0:00:37.62,0:00:39.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's really, really tiring. Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.38,0:00:42.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sometimes you just want to stand there silently, alone with your thoughts. Dialogue: 0,0:00:42.25,0:00:47.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sometimes you just want to stand in the corner and stare out of the window. Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.58,0:00:51.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now the problem is, when you can't smoke, Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.08,0:00:54.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you stand and stare out the window on your own, Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.92,0:00:57.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you're an antisocial, friendless idiot. Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.47,0:00:58.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.67,0:01:03.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you stand and stare out of the window on your own with a cigarette, Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.52,0:01:05.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you're a fucking philosopher. Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.84,0:01:08.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.33,0:01:13.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause) Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.29,0:01:17.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So the power of reframing things Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.50,0:01:21.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,cannot be overstated. Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.61,0:01:23.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What we have is exactly the same thing, the same activity, Dialogue: 0,0:01:23.83,0:01:27.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but one of them makes you feel great Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.04,0:01:30.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the other one, with just a small change of posture, Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.29,0:01:32.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,makes you feel terrible. Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.04,0:01:35.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I think one of the problems with classical economics Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.29,0:01:37.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is it's absolutely preoccupied with reality. Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.92,0:01:42.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And reality isn't a particularly good guide to human happiness. Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.88,0:01:44.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why, for example, Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.62,0:01:47.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are pensioners much happier Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.88,0:01:48.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than the young unemployed? Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.75,0:01:53.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Both of them, after all, are in exactly the same stage of life. Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.17,0:01:57.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You both have too much time on your hands and not much money. Dialogue: 0,0:01:57.12,0:02:00.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But pensioners are reportedly very, very happy, Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.29,0:02:04.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whereas the unemployed are extraordinarily unhappy and depressed. Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.12,0:02:08.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The reason, I think, is that pensioners believe they've chosen to be pensioners, Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.08,0:02:09.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whereas the young unemployed Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.83,0:02:12.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,feel it's been thrust upon them. Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.29,0:02:15.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In England the upper-middle-classes have actually solved this problem perfectly, Dialogue: 0,0:02:15.88,0:02:20.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because they've rebranded unemployment. Dialogue: 0,0:02:20.46,0:02:22.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you're an upper-middle-class English person, Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.21,0:02:25.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you call unemployment "a year off." Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.33,0:02:27.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.08,0:02:30.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's because having a son who's unemployed in Manchester Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.50,0:02:32.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is really quite embarrassing, Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.21,0:02:34.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but having a son who's unemployed in Thailand Dialogue: 0,0:02:34.83,0:02:38.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is really viewed as quite an accomplishment. Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.08,0:02:40.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.21,0:02:42.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But actually the power to rebrand things, Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.12,0:02:46.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to understand that actually our experiences, costs, things Dialogue: 0,0:02:46.29,0:02:50.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,don't actually much depend on what they really are, Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.11,0:02:51.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but on how we view them, Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.62,0:02:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I genuinely think can't be overstated. Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.00,0:02:56.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's an experiment I think Daniel Pink refers to Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.46,0:02:59.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where you put two dogs in a box Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.08,0:03:03.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the box has an electric floor. Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.21,0:03:08.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Every now and then an electric shock is applied to the floor, Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.58,0:03:10.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which pains the dogs. Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.33,0:03:15.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The only difference is one of the dogs has a small button in its half of the box. Dialogue: 0,0:03:15.58,0:03:18.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when it nuzzles the button, the electric shock stops. Dialogue: 0,0:03:18.79,0:03:23.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The other dog doesn't have the button. Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.21,0:03:26.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's exposed to exactly the same level of pain as the dog in the first box, Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.92,0:03:29.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it has no control over the circumstances. Dialogue: 0,0:03:29.04,0:03:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Generally the first dog can be relatively content. Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.00,0:03:37.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The second dog lapses into complete depression. Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.71,0:03:42.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The circumstances in our lives may actually matter less to our happiness. Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.58,0:03:47.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than the sense of control we feel over our lives. Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.92,0:03:48.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's an interesting question. Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.79,0:03:52.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We ask the question -- the whole debate in the Western world Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.96,0:03:54.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is about the level of taxation. Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.71,0:03:57.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I think there's another debate to be asked, Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.96,0:04:00.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is the level of control we have over our tax money. Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.04,0:04:04.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That what costs us 10 pounds in one context can be a curse. Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.21,0:04:10.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What costs us 10 pounds in a different context we may actually welcome. Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.04,0:04:13.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And pay 20,000 pounds in tax toward health Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.71,0:04:17.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you're merely feeling a mug. Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.92,0:04:20.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Pay 20,000 pounds to endow a hospital ward Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.54,0:04:23.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you're called a philanthropist. Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.75,0:04:27.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm probably in the wrong country to talk about willingness to pay tax. Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.19,0:04:29.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.90,0:04:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I'll give you one in return. How you frame things really matters. Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.00,0:04:35.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Do you call it the bailout of Greece Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.75,0:04:39.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or the bailout of a load of stupid banks which lent to Greece? Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.50,0:04:43.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because they are actually the same thing. Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.67,0:04:44.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What you call them actually affects Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.54,0:04:48.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how you react to them, viscerally and morally. Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.62,0:04:51.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think psychological value is great to be absolutely honest. Dialogue: 0,0:04:51.83,0:04:55.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of my great friends, a professor called Nick Chater, Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.92,0:04:57.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who's the Professor of Decision Sciences in London, Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.67,0:05:00.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,believes that we should spend far less time Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.96,0:05:02.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,looking into humanity's hidden depths Dialogue: 0,0:05:02.71,0:05:06.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and spend much more time exploring the hidden shallows. Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.33,0:05:08.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think that's true actually. Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.08,0:05:09.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think impressions have an insane effect Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.83,0:05:12.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on what we think and what we do. Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.25,0:05:16.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But what we don't have is a really good model of human psychology. Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.33,0:05:17.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At least pre-[unclear] perhaps, Dialogue: 0,0:05:17.21,0:05:21.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we didn't have a really good model of human psychology Dialogue: 0,0:05:21.29,0:05:26.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to put alongside models of engineering, of neoclassical economics. Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.71,0:05:30.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So people who believed in psychological solutions didn't have a model. Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.21,0:05:32.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We didn't have a framework. Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.62,0:05:34.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is what Warren Buffett's business partner Charlie Munger calls Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.79,0:05:36.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"A latticework on which to hang your ideas." Dialogue: 0,0:05:36.79,0:05:42.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Engineers, economists, classical economists Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.58,0:05:44.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all had a very, very robust existing latticework Dialogue: 0,0:05:44.33,0:05:47.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on which practically every idea could be hung. Dialogue: 0,0:05:47.29,0:05:50.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We merely have a collection of random individual insights Dialogue: 0,0:05:50.58,0:05:53.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without an overall model. Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.58,0:05:56.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what that means is that in looking at solutions, Dialogue: 0,0:05:56.21,0:06:00.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we've probably given too much priority Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.21,0:06:03.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to what I call technical engineering solutions, Newtonian solutions, Dialogue: 0,0:06:03.88,0:06:07.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and not nearly enough to the psychological ones. Dialogue: 0,0:06:07.29,0:06:08.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You know my example of the Eurostar. Dialogue: 0,0:06:08.17,0:06:10.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Six million pounds spent to reduce the journey time Dialogue: 0,0:06:10.62,0:06:14.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,between Paris and London by about 40 minutes. Dialogue: 0,0:06:14.62,0:06:19.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For 0.01 percent of this money you could have put WiFi on the trains, Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.04,0:06:21.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which wouldn't have reduced the duration of the journey, Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.67,0:06:26.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but would have improved its enjoyment and its usefullness far more. Dialogue: 0,0:06:26.29,0:06:28.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For maybe 10 percent of the money, Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.92,0:06:30.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you could have paid all of the world's top male and female supermodels Dialogue: 0,0:06:30.67,0:06:35.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to walk up and down the train handing out free Chateau Petrus to all the passengers. Dialogue: 0,0:06:35.58,0:06:39.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You'd still have five billion pounds in change, Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.08,0:06:42.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and people would ask for the trains to be slowed down. Dialogue: 0,0:06:42.29,0:06:45.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) Dialogue: 0,0:06:45.97,0:06:48.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why were we not given the chance Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.92,0:06:51.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to solve that problem psychologically? Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.33,0:06:53.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think It's because there's an imbalance, an asymmetry, Dialogue: 0,0:06:53.75,0:06:58.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the way we treat creative, emotionally-driven psychological ideas Dialogue: 0,0:06:58.54,0:07:02.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,versus the way we treat rational numerical spreadsheet-driven ideas. Dialogue: 0,0:07:02.71,0:07:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you're a crazy person, I think quite rightly, Dialogue: 0,0:07:06.00,0:07:07.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you have to share all your ideas for approval Dialogue: 0,0:07:07.75,0:07:10.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with people much more rational than you. Dialogue: 0,0:07:10.96,0:07:12.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You have to go in and you have to have a cost-benefit analysis, Dialogue: 0,0:07:12.71,0:07:16.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a feasibility study, an ROI study and so forth. Dialogue: 0,0:07:16.83,0:07:18.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I think that's probably right. Dialogue: 0,0:07:18.46,0:07:20.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this does not apply the other way around. Dialogue: 0,0:07:20.21,0:07:24.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People who have an existing framework, Dialogue: 0,0:07:24.33,0:07:26.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an economic framework, an engineering framework, Dialogue: 0,0:07:26.08,0:07:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,feel that actually logic is its own answer. Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.00,0:07:33.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What they don't say is "Well the numbers all seem to add up, Dialogue: 0,0:07:33.50,0:07:36.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but before I present this idea, I'll go and show it to some really crazy people Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.12,0:07:39.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to see if they can come up with something better." Dialogue: 0,0:07:39.92,0:07:40.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so we, artificially I think, prioritize Dialogue: 0,0:07:40.79,0:07:45.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what I'd call mechanistic ideas over psychological ideas. Dialogue: 0,0:07:45.75,0:07:48.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,An example of a great psychological idea: Dialogue: 0,0:07:48.42,0:07:54.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The single best improvement on customer satisfaction on the London Underground per pounds spent Dialogue: 0,0:07:54.38,0:07:58.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,came when they did add any extra trains nor change the frequency of the trains, Dialogue: 0,0:07:58.54,0:08:02.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they put dot matrix display board on the platforms. Dialogue: 0,0:08:02.21,0:08:05.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because the nature of the wait Dialogue: 0,0:08:05.46,0:08:07.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is not just dependent on its numerical quality, its duration, Dialogue: 0,0:08:07.21,0:08:10.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but on the level of uncertainty you experience during that wait. Dialogue: 0,0:08:10.50,0:08:13.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Waiting seven minutes for a train with a countdown clock Dialogue: 0,0:08:13.29,0:08:16.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is less frustrating and irritating Dialogue: 0,0:08:16.58,0:08:18.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than waiting four minutes, knuckle-biting Dialogue: 0,0:08:18.33,0:08:22.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,going, "When's this train going to damn well arrive?" Dialogue: 0,0:08:22.17,0:08:24.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here's a beautiful example of a psychological solution deployed in Korea. Dialogue: 0,0:08:24.79,0:08:28.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Red traffic lights have a countdown delay. Dialogue: 0,0:08:28.42,0:08:30.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's proven to reduce the accident rate in experiments. Dialogue: 0,0:08:30.62,0:08:34.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why? Because road rage, impatience and general irritation Dialogue: 0,0:08:34.75,0:08:37.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are massively reduced when you can actually see the time you have to wait. Dialogue: 0,0:08:37.42,0:08:42.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In China, not really understanding the principle behind this, Dialogue: 0,0:08:42.46,0:08:44.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they applied the principle to green traffic lights. Dialogue: 0,0:08:44.21,0:08:46.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) Dialogue: 0,0:08:46.54,0:08:50.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Which isn't a great idea. Dialogue: 0,0:08:50.54,0:08:53.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You're 200 yards away, you realize you've got five seconds to go, you floor it. Dialogue: 0,0:08:53.99,0:08:57.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) Dialogue: 0,0:08:57.46,0:09:01.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Koreans, very assiduously, did test both. Dialogue: 0,0:09:01.29,0:09:02.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The accident rate goes down when you apply this to red traffic lights; Dialogue: 0,0:09:02.17,0:09:06.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it goes up when you apply it to green traffic lights. Dialogue: 0,0:09:06.25,0:09:08.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is all I'm asking for really in human decision making, Dialogue: 0,0:09:08.75,0:09:11.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is the consideration of these three things. Dialogue: 0,0:09:11.58,0:09:14.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm not asking for the complete primacy of one over the other. Dialogue: 0,0:09:14.21,0:09:16.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm merely saying that when you solve problems, Dialogue: 0,0:09:16.17,0:09:18.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you should look at all three of these equally Dialogue: 0,0:09:18.79,0:09:22.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you should seek as far as possible Dialogue: 0,0:09:22.33,0:09:25.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to find solutions which sit in the sweet spot in the middle. Dialogue: 0,0:09:25.17,0:09:27.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you actually look at a great business, Dialogue: 0,0:09:27.38,0:09:29.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you'll nearly always see all of these three things coming into play. Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.12,0:09:32.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Really, really successful businesses -- Dialogue: 0,0:09:32.25,0:09:34.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Google is great, great technological success, Dialogue: 0,0:09:34.83,0:09:36.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it's also based on a very good psychological insight: Dialogue: 0,0:09:36.58,0:09:41.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People believe something that only does one thing Dialogue: 0,0:09:41.58,0:09:45.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is better at that thing than something that does that thing and something else. Dialogue: 0,0:09:45.71,0:09:49.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's an innate thing called goal dilution. Dialogue: 0,0:09:49.88,0:09:50.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ayelet Fishbach has written a paper about this. Dialogue: 0,0:09:50.75,0:09:52.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Everybody else at the time of Google, more or less, Dialogue: 0,0:09:52.50,0:09:55.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was trying to be a portal. Dialogue: 0,0:09:55.33,0:09:55.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Yes, there's a search function, Dialogue: 0,0:09:55.83,0:09:59.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but you also have weather, sports scores, bits of news. Dialogue: 0,0:09:59.88,0:10:03.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Google understood that if you're just a search engine, Dialogue: 0,0:10:03.21,0:10:05.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people assume you're a very, very good search engine. Dialogue: 0,0:10:05.62,0:10:07.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All of you know this actually Dialogue: 0,0:10:07.38,0:10:08.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from when you go in to buy a television. Dialogue: 0,0:10:08.25,0:10:13.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in the shabbier end of the row of flatscreen TV's Dialogue: 0,0:10:13.21,0:10:17.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can see are these rather despised things called combined TV and DVD players. Dialogue: 0,0:10:17.12,0:10:21.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we have know knowledge whatsoever of the quality of those things, Dialogue: 0,0:10:21.42,0:10:26.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but we look at a combined TV and DVD player and we go "Uck. Dialogue: 0,0:10:26.04,0:10:29.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's probably a bit of a crap telly and a bit rubbish as a DVD player." Dialogue: 0,0:10:29.42,0:10:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we walk out of the shops with one of each. Dialogue: 0,0:10:32.00,0:10:38.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Google is as much a psychological success as it is a technological one. Dialogue: 0,0:10:38.04,0:10:40.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I propose that we can use psychology to solve problems Dialogue: 0,0:10:40.67,0:10:41.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we didn't even realize were problems at all. Dialogue: 0,0:10:41.54,0:10:44.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is my suggestion for getting people to finish their course of antibiotics. Dialogue: 0,0:10:44.75,0:10:48.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Don't give them 24 white pills. Dialogue: 0,0:10:48.33,0:10:50.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Give them 18 white pills and six blue ones Dialogue: 0,0:10:50.96,0:10:54.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and tell them to take the white pills first and then take the blue ones. Dialogue: 0,0:10:54.38,0:10:57.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's called chunking. Dialogue: 0,0:10:57.75,0:10:59.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The likelihood that people will get to the end is much greater Dialogue: 0,0:10:59.50,0:11:02.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when there is a milestone somewhere in the middle. Dialogue: 0,0:11:02.75,0:11:06.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of the great mistakes, I think, of economics Dialogue: 0,0:11:06.42,0:11:08.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is it fails to understand that what something is, Dialogue: 0,0:11:08.17,0:11:09.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whether it's retirement, unemployment, cost, Dialogue: 0,0:11:09.92,0:11:16.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is a function, not only of its amount, but also its meaning. Dialogue: 0,0:11:16.42,0:11:20.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is a toll crossing in Britain. Dialogue: 0,0:11:20.33,0:11:22.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Quite often queues happen at the tolls. Dialogue: 0,0:11:22.75,0:11:25.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sometimes you get very, very severe queues. Dialogue: 0,0:11:25.38,0:11:27.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You could apply the same principle actually, if you like, Dialogue: 0,0:11:27.96,0:11:29.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the security lanes in airports. Dialogue: 0,0:11:29.58,0:11:32.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What would happen if you could actually pay twice as much money to cross the bridge, Dialogue: 0,0:11:32.50,0:11:35.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but go through a lane that's an express lane? Dialogue: 0,0:11:35.79,0:11:37.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's not an unreasonable thing to do. It's an economically efficient thing to do. Dialogue: 0,0:11:37.54,0:11:40.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Time means more to some people than others. Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.79,0:11:44.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you're waiting trying to get to a job interview, Dialogue: 0,0:11:44.29,0:11:45.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you'd pay a couple of pounds more to go through the fast lane. Dialogue: 0,0:11:45.17,0:11:50.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you're on the way to visit your mother in-law, Dialogue: 0,0:11:50.29,0:11:54.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you'd probably prefer to stay on the left. Dialogue: 0,0:11:54.33,0:11:57.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The only problem is if you introduce this economically efficient solution, Dialogue: 0,0:11:57.79,0:11:59.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people hate it. Dialogue: 0,0:11:59.54,0:12:04.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because they think you're deliberately creating delays at the bridge Dialogue: 0,0:12:04.25,0:12:05.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in order to maximize your revenue, Dialogue: 0,0:12:05.12,0:12:08.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and "Why on earth should I pay to subsidize your imcompetence?" Dialogue: 0,0:12:08.38,0:12:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On the other hand, change the frame slightly Dialogue: 0,0:12:11.00,0:12:14.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and create charitable yield management, Dialogue: 0,0:12:14.50,0:12:17.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so the extra money give goes not to the bridge company, it goes to charity, Dialogue: 0,0:12:17.12,0:12:22.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the mental willingness to pay completely changes. Dialogue: 0,0:12:22.12,0:12:25.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You have a relatively economically efficient solution, Dialogue: 0,0:12:25.79,0:12:27.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but one that actually meets with public approval Dialogue: 0,0:12:27.54,0:12:30.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and even a small degree of affection, Dialogue: 0,0:12:30.79,0:12:31.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rather than being seen as bastardy. Dialogue: 0,0:12:31.67,0:12:35.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So where economists make the fundamental mistake Dialogue: 0,0:12:35.79,0:12:39.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is they think that money is money. Dialogue: 0,0:12:39.08,0:12:42.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Actually my pain experienced in paying five pounds Dialogue: 0,0:12:42.58,0:12:44.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is not just proportionate to the amount, Dialogue: 0,0:12:44.92,0:12:46.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but where I think that money is going. Dialogue: 0,0:12:46.67,0:12:50.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I think understanding that could revolutionize tax policy. Dialogue: 0,0:12:50.83,0:12:52.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It could revolutionize the public services. Dialogue: 0,0:12:52.58,0:12:54.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It could really change things quite significantly. Dialogue: 0,0:12:54.92,0:12:58.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here's a guy you all need to study. Dialogue: 0,0:12:58.08,0:12:59.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He's an Austrian school economist Dialogue: 0,0:12:59.83,0:13:04.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who was first active in the first half of the 20th century in Vienna. Dialogue: 0,0:13:04.88,0:13:07.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What was interesting about the Austrian school Dialogue: 0,0:13:07.46,0:13:09.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is they actually grew up alongside Freud. Dialogue: 0,0:13:09.80,0:13:11.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so they're predominantly interested in psychology. Dialogue: 0,0:13:11.71,0:13:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They believed that there was a discipline called praxeology, Dialogue: 0,0:13:19.00,0:13:21.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is a prior discipline to the study of economics. Dialogue: 0,0:13:21.08,0:13:24.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Praxeology is the study of human choice, action and decision making. Dialogue: 0,0:13:24.58,0:13:26.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think they're right. Dialogue: 0,0:13:26.75,0:13:27.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think the danger we have in today's world Dialogue: 0,0:13:27.25,0:13:28.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is we have the study of economics Dialogue: 0,0:13:28.50,0:13:34.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,considers itself to be a prior discipline to the study of human psychology. Dialogue: 0,0:13:34.21,0:13:37.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But as Charlie Munger says, "If economics isn't behavioral, Dialogue: 0,0:13:37.54,0:13:40.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't know what the hell is." Dialogue: 0,0:13:40.83,0:13:45.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Von Mises interestingly believes economics is just a subset of psychology. Dialogue: 0,0:13:45.83,0:13:46.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think he just refers to economics as Dialogue: 0,0:13:46.71,0:13:49.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"The study of human praxeology under conditions of scarcity." Dialogue: 0,0:13:49.38,0:13:54.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But von Mises, among many other things, Dialogue: 0,0:13:54.25,0:14:00.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think uses an analogy which is probably the best justification and explanation Dialogue: 0,0:14:00.12,0:14:04.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for the value of marketing, the value of perceived value Dialogue: 0,0:14:04.17,0:14:08.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the fact that we should treat it as being absolutely equivalent Dialogue: 0,0:14:08.33,0:14:10.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to any other kind of value. Dialogue: 0,0:14:10.42,0:14:12.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We tend to, all of us -- even those of us who work in marketing -- Dialogue: 0,0:14:12.17,0:14:13.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to think of value in two ways. Dialogue: 0,0:14:13.04,0:14:16.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's the real value, Dialogue: 0,0:14:16.25,0:14:17.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is when you make something in a factory and provide a service, Dialogue: 0,0:14:17.12,0:14:19.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then there's a kind of dubious value, Dialogue: 0,0:14:19.75,0:14:20.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which you create by changing the way people look at things. Dialogue: 0,0:14:20.62,0:14:22.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Von Mises completely rejected this distinction. Dialogue: 0,0:14:22.38,0:14:25.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And he used this following analogy. Dialogue: 0,0:14:25.58,0:14:29.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He referred actually to strange economists called the French Physiocrats Dialogue: 0,0:14:29.62,0:14:35.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who believed that the only true value was what you extracted from the land. Dialogue: 0,0:14:35.17,0:14:37.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So if you're a shepherd or a quarryman or a farmer, Dialogue: 0,0:14:37.92,0:14:39.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you created true value. Dialogue: 0,0:14:39.67,0:14:42.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If however, you bought some wool from the shepherd Dialogue: 0,0:14:42.75,0:14:46.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and charged a premium for converting it into a hat, Dialogue: 0,0:14:46.46,0:14:48.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you weren't actually creating value, Dialogue: 0,0:14:48.79,0:14:49.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you were exploiting the shepherd. Dialogue: 0,0:14:49.67,0:14:54.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now von Mises's said that modern economists make exactly the same mistake Dialogue: 0,0:14:54.62,0:14:55.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with regard to advertising and marketing. Dialogue: 0,0:14:55.50,0:14:57.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He says, "If you run a restaurant, Dialogue: 0,0:14:57.88,0:15:01.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there is no healthy distinction to be made Dialogue: 0,0:15:01.38,0:15:03.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,between the value you create by cooking the food Dialogue: 0,0:15:03.83,0:15:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the value you create by sweeping the floor." Dialogue: 0,0:15:06.00,0:15:08.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of them creates, perhaps, the primary product -- Dialogue: 0,0:15:08.46,0:15:09.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the thing we think we're paying for -- Dialogue: 0,0:15:09.33,0:15:10.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the other one creates a context Dialogue: 0,0:15:10.21,0:15:13.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,within which we can enjoy and appreciate that product. Dialogue: 0,0:15:13.67,0:15:18.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the idea that one of them should actually have priority over the other Dialogue: 0,0:15:18.67,0:15:20.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is fundamentally wrong. Dialogue: 0,0:15:20.83,0:15:21.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Try this quick thought experiment. Dialogue: 0,0:15:21.71,0:15:22.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Imagine a restaurant that serves Michelin-starred food, Dialogue: 0,0:15:22.58,0:15:26.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but actually where the restaurant smells of sewage Dialogue: 0,0:15:26.96,0:15:29.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and there's human feces on the floor. Dialogue: 0,0:15:29.54,0:15:30.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The best thing you can do there to create value Dialogue: 0,0:15:30.42,0:15:35.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is not actually to improve the food still further, Dialogue: 0,0:15:35.42,0:15:40.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's to get rid of the smell and clean up the floor. Dialogue: 0,0:15:40.04,0:15:42.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's vital we understand this. Dialogue: 0,0:15:42.67,0:15:46.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If that seems like some strange, abstruse thing, Dialogue: 0,0:15:46.17,0:15:49.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the U.K., the post office had a 98 percent success rate Dialogue: 0,0:15:49.83,0:15:53.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at delivering first-class mail the next day. Dialogue: 0,0:15:53.12,0:15:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They decided this wasn't good enough Dialogue: 0,0:15:54.00,0:15:54.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they wanted to get it up to 99. Dialogue: 0,0:15:54.88,0:16:01.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The effort to do that almost broke the organization. Dialogue: 0,0:16:01.58,0:16:04.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If at the same time you'd gone at asked people, Dialogue: 0,0:16:04.83,0:16:08.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"What percentage of first-class arrives the next day?" Dialogue: 0,0:16:08.12,0:16:10.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the average answer, or the modal answer would have been 50 to 60 percent. Dialogue: 0,0:16:10.48,0:16:14.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now if your perception is much worse than your reality, Dialogue: 0,0:16:14.83,0:16:15.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what on earth are you doing trying to change the reality. Dialogue: 0,0:16:15.33,0:16:20.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's like trying to improve the food in a restaurant that stinks. Dialogue: 0,0:16:20.75,0:16:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What you need to do Dialogue: 0,0:16:25.00,0:16:25.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is first of all tell people Dialogue: 0,0:16:25.88,0:16:28.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that 98 percent of mail gets there the next day, first-class mail. Dialogue: 0,0:16:28.96,0:16:32.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's pretty good. Dialogue: 0,0:16:32.54,0:16:35.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I would argue, in Britain there's a much better frame of reference, Dialogue: 0,0:16:35.17,0:16:36.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is to tell people Dialogue: 0,0:16:36.04,0:16:38.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that more first-class mail arrives the next day Dialogue: 0,0:16:38.38,0:16:40.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the U.K. than in Germany. Dialogue: 0,0:16:40.12,0:16:43.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because generally in Britain if you want to make us happy about something, Dialogue: 0,0:16:43.38,0:16:45.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just tell us we do it better than the Germans. Dialogue: 0,0:16:45.12,0:16:47.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) Dialogue: 0,0:16:47.50,0:16:48.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause) Dialogue: 0,0:16:48.38,0:16:51.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Choose your frame of reference and the perceived value Dialogue: 0,0:16:51.96,0:16:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and therefore the actual value is completely tranformed. Dialogue: 0,0:16:57.00,0:16:57.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It has to be said of the Germans Dialogue: 0,0:16:57.88,0:17:00.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the Germans and the French are doing a brilliant job Dialogue: 0,0:17:00.75,0:17:01.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of creating a united Europe. Dialogue: 0,0:17:01.62,0:17:02.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The only thing they don't expect is their uniting Europe Dialogue: 0,0:17:02.50,0:17:06.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,through a shared mild hatred of the French and Germans. Dialogue: 0,0:17:06.58,0:17:10.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I'm British, that's the way we like it. Dialogue: 0,0:17:10.75,0:17:16.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What you also notice is in any case our perception is leaky. Dialogue: 0,0:17:16.83,0:17:19.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We can't tell the difference between the quality of the food Dialogue: 0,0:17:19.17,0:17:22.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the environment in which we consume it. Dialogue: 0,0:17:22.38,0:17:23.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All of you will have seen this phenomenon Dialogue: 0,0:17:23.25,0:17:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you have your car washed or valeted. Dialogue: 0,0:17:25.00,0:17:27.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When you drive away, your car feels as if it drives better. Dialogue: 0,0:17:27.62,0:17:32.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the reason for this, Dialogue: 0,0:17:32.54,0:17:34.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,unless my car valet mysteriously is changing the oil Dialogue: 0,0:17:34.29,0:17:37.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and performing work which I'm not paying him for and I'm unaware of, Dialogue: 0,0:17:37.54,0:17:39.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is because perception is in any case leaky. Dialogue: 0,0:17:39.96,0:17:44.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Analgesics that are branded are more effective at reducing pain Dialogue: 0,0:17:44.08,0:17:44.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than analgesics that are not branded. Dialogue: 0,0:17:44.96,0:17:48.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't just mean through reported pain reduction, Dialogue: 0,0:17:48.25,0:17:49.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,actual measured pain reduction. Dialogue: 0,0:17:49.12,0:17:53.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so perception actually is leaky in any case. Dialogue: 0,0:17:53.67,0:17:57.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So if you do something that's perceptually bad in one respect, Dialogue: 0,0:17:57.67,0:17:58.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can damage the other. Dialogue: 0,0:17:58.54,0:18:00.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you very much. Dialogue: 0,0:18:00.42,0:18:02.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)