Episodes

  • What it’s really like to win the lottery

    What it’s really like to win the lottery
    Nov 9 2026
    What happens when someone wins the lottery? Financial planner Matt Pitcher shares his lessons from a decade working with lotto winners. He reveals how sudden wealth can unbalance life but also create profound meaning. Listen to uncover the psychology behind money and happiness. --- Matt’s website: https://www.mattpitcher.co.uk/ Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/ --- Today’s sources: Agarwal, S., Mikhed, V., & Scholnick, B. (2020). Peers’ income and financial distress: Evidence from lottery winners and neighboring bankruptcies. The Review of Financial Studies, 33(1), 433–472. Brickman, P., Coates, D., & Janoff-Bulman, R. (1978). Lottery winners and accident victims: Is happiness relative? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36(8), 917–927. Holmes, C. (2022). Happier hour: How to beat distraction, expand your time, and focus on what matters most. Gallery Books.
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    29 mins
  • Are the rich and famous smarter than you?

    Are the rich and famous smarter than you?
    Nov 2 2026
    Today on Nudge, the $2.9m NFT that sold for 0.0097% of its original price, why so many footballers go bankrupt, and how you can beat the stock market. I’m joined again by Alex Edmans, professor of finance at London Business School and award-winning author. He explains that the rich and famous aren’t as smart as you think they are. --- Read my past newsletters: https://nudge.kit.com/profile Alex’s website: https://alexedmans.com/ Alex’s book: https://alexedmans.com/madness/ Alex’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aedmans Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/ --- Today’s sources: Chatterjee, Arijit and Donald C. Hambrick, ‘It’s all about me: narcissistic chief executive officers and their effects on company strategy and performance’, Administrative Science Quarterly 52 (2007), 351–86. Ham, Charles, Mark Lang, and Nicholas Seybert, ‘CFO narcissism and financial reporting quality’, Journal of Accounting Research 55 (2017), 1089–135. Li, Yuanzhi and David Yermack, ‘Evasive shareholder meetings’, Journal of Corporate Finance 38 (2016), 318–34. Yermack, David, ‘Flights of fancy: corporate jets, CEO perquisites, and inferior shareholder returns’, Journal of Financial Economics 80 (2006), 211–42.
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    26 mins
  • The fake AI veteran scam

    The fake AI veteran scam
    Oct 26 2026
    It’s never been easier to scam someone online. Now, AI-generated “pity scams” use fake injured veterans to sell cheap mass-produced products. They leverage three powerful psychological biases to persuade the masses. On today’s Nudge, I explain how and why it’s so hard to stop the scammers. --- BBC’s fake veteran reporting: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgy0lz08keo BBC’s Jean Philanthrope reporting: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c60qkdjvx70ko Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/ --- Today’s sources: Bickman, L. (1974). The social power of a uniform. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 4(1), 47–61. Buell, R. W., Kim, T., & Tsay, C.-J. (2016). Creating reciprocal value through operational transparency. Management Science, 62(6), 1–23. Office for Veterans' Affairs. (2023). Perceptions of UK armed forces ex-service personnel. GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/perceptions-of-uk-armed-forces-ex-service-personnel Xygalatas, D., Mitkidis, P., Fischer, R., Reddish, P., Skewes, J., Geertz, A. W., Roepstorff, A., & Bulbulia, J. (2013). Extreme rituals promote prosociality. Psychological Science, 24(8), 1602–1605.
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    28 mins
  • Is the stock market just vibes?

    Is the stock market just vibes?
    Oct 19 2026
    When Greece beat France in Euro 2004, the stock market shifted. When Allbirds rebranded as an AI company, its stock rose 600%. When British radio plays happy music, the FTSE improves. So, is the stock market just vibes? Does national mood actually move the market? That’s what today’s guest on Nudge, Alex Edmans, is here to answer. Alex is a professor of finance at London Business School and an award-winning author. On today's show he explains why smart investors make crazy decisions (and how to exploit them). --- Read my past newsletters: https://nudge.kit.com/profile Alex’s website: https://alexedmans.com/ Alex’s book: https://alexedmans.com/madness/ Alex’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aedmans Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/ --- Today’s sources: De Bondt, Werner F. M. and Richard Thaler, ‘Does the stock market overreact?’, Journal of Finance 40 (1985), 793–805. Edmans, Alex, ‘Does the stock market fully value intangibles? Employee satisfaction and equity prices’, Journal of Financial Economics 101 (2011), 621–40. Edmans, Alex, ‘The link between job satisfaction and firm value, with implications for corporate social responsibility’, Academy of Management Perspectives 26 (2012), 1–19. Edmans, Alex, Adrian Fernandez-Perez, Alexandre Garel, and Ivan Indriawan, ‘Music sentiment and stock returns around the world’, Journal of Financial Economics 145 (2022), 234–54. Edmans, Alex, Diego García, and Øyvind Norli, ‘Sports sentiment and stock returns’, Journal of Finance 62 (2007), 1967–98. Kahneman, Daniel and Amos Tversky, ‘Judgment under uncertainty: heuristics and biases’, Science 185 (1974), 1124–31.
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    26 mins
  • Do AI bosses need to be famous?

    Do AI bosses need to be famous?
    Oct 12 2026
    I think Sam Altman of OpenAI has deliberately tried to build his fame. While other CEOs keep a low profile, he spends 95% of his time evangelising. In this episode of Nudge, I explain why. --- Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/ --- Today’s sources: Smith, R. K., & Newman, G. E. (2014). When multiple creators are worse than one: The bias toward single authors in the evaluation of art. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 8(3).
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    23 mins
  • Why this man spent 3 years driving to Australia

    Why this man spent 3 years driving to Australia
    Oct 5 2026
    Wiebe Wakker spent three years driving from the Netherlands to Australia. Today on Nudge, we learn why. And we study the psychology of dedication. Listen to the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/7ec0a99ab3 Warning, today’s episode contains explicit language. --- Listen to the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/7ec0a99ab3 Wiebe’s website: https://wiebewakker.com/en/ Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/ --- Today’s sources: Kruger, J., Wirtz, D., Van Boven, L., & Altermatt, T. W. (2004). The effort heuristic. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 40(1), 91–98. Söderlund, M.Söderlund, M., & Sagfossen, S. (2017). The consumer experience: The impact of supplier effort and consumer effort on customer satisfaction. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 39, 219–229.
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    36 mins
  • Does male insecurity increase Ferrari sales? (And 6 more psych-myths)

    Does male insecurity increase Ferrari sales? (And 6 more psych-myths)
    Sep 28 2026
    Are men who are insecure about their manhood more likely to buy sports cars? Do memes work for government communication? Does brand colour change the products we buy? And will an AI ever replace a police interrogator? These are some of the questions Jo Evershed, a psychological scientist and CEO, helps me answer on today’s episode of Nudge. --- Start using Riverside for free: https://bit.ly/PhilAgnew Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Learn more about Gorilla: https://gorilla.sc/ Connect with Jo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-evershed-36bba9/ Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/ --- Today’s sources: CX Lab. (n.d.). CX Lab case study [Blog post]. Gorilla Experiment Builder. https://gorilla.sc/blog/cx-lab-case-study Shang, J., Reed, A., & Croson, R. (2008). Identity congruency effects on donations. Journal of Marketing Research, 45(3), 351–361. Tasnim, A., Kwan, C., Chahboub, M., Liu, A., & Humairah, A. (n.d.). Saving trees one meme at a time: An investigation into how meme-style posts influence behavioural intentions to water street trees [Unpublished manuscript]. University College London.
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    24 mins
  • The huge restaurant chains masquerading as independents

    The huge restaurant chains masquerading as independents
    Sep 21 2026
    Every weekend, thousands of Brits order takeaways from independent restaurants. Or do they? Because these independent restaurants aren’t actually what they seem. Pizza Hut, Prezzo, Frankie & Benny’s, Las Iguanas and many more chains are rebranding their food on delivery apps to appear like an independent restaurant. They’re exploiting our psychological bias for independent brands and fooling millions of diners. Find out how in today’s episode of Nudge. --- Watch the Birdbox vs Frankie & Benny's Taste Test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqcZ_5NixfM Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/ --- Today’s sources: Chen, S. [@StanYM]. (2024, December 22). I served McDonald's at a luxury food convention [Video]. YouTube. Hoskin, R. (2026, January 17). Big chains accused of masquerading as independent restaurants on delivery apps. BBC News. Lin, M. S., Sharma, A., & Ouyang, Y. (2020). Role of signals in consumers' economic valuation of restaurant choices. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 44(7), 1080–1100. Zhang, Y., Fishbach, A., & Kruglanski, A. W. (2007). The dilution model: How additional goals undermine the perceived instrumentality of a shared path. *Journal of Personality and Social Psychology*, *92*(3), 389–401.
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    28 mins