What Derek Thompson thinks about behavioural science
Writer and podcaster; co-author of Abundance with Ezra Klein and a staff writer at The Atlantic from 2008 to 2025.
Derek Thompson did not write this page.
We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.
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3 dated positions, 2026, in their own words. Our reading of what Derek Thompson has said — not written or endorsed by them.
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Their wordsAlthough it seems to be based on a perceived difference ("he is rich, and I am not"), it is actually triggered by a feeling of similarity ("if he and I are so alike, why is he so much richer?")
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Their wordsIt's unfair, not only materially, but psychologically. The bad we feel about small disadvantages is greater than the good we feel about small advantages.
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Their wordsThe good news about envy is that it is very often a delusion.