Forming Rational Perceptions

Behavioral economist Jodi Beggs attempts to mitigate sheepishness and encourage rational thinking in this context keynote. Society has always had influential indicators of popularity and perceived quality, yet in contemporary society, due to social media, this has never been so pervasive. Though the traditional notion exists that more information helps with increasing happiness, recent finds from behavioral economists and social psychologists suggest that this extra information can bias our decisions in unproductive ways.

Beggs explains it as having a world where context is constantly changing, and by informing our decision on this, changing context is preventing us from making the best or most rational choice. By being aware of these powerful effects, people can begin to make decisions on their actual experiences instead of on preconceived notions.