Companies have long gathered data to break down their customer base into specific segments. Now political parties have become adept at micro-targeting, too, using data on shopping habits, leisure activities, voting histories, charity donations, and so on, in order to pinpoint likely supporters and the type of appeal most likely to win them over.

Besides great climates and lovely beaches, California and Greece share a fondness for dysfunctional politics and feckless budgeting.

The important thing about groupthink is that it works not so much by censoring dissent as by making dissent seem somehow improbable.

There are lots of people who believe there may be at least some genetic component to procrastination, and even if there isn't, it seems to be the case that procrastination habits are often set relatively early in life (that's certainly the case with me). But I also think that there's lots of evidence that external tools can help quite a bit in getting people to stop procrastinating.

If private-equity firms are as good at remaking companies as they claim, they don't need tax loopholes to make money.

Sometimes even a smart crowd will make a mistake.

Older people do a better job of managing their impulses, and so they're better able to put off putting off.