CONTENTS Preface vii Acknowledgmentsxiii Part I: Maximizing Our Best Interests by Expanding Our Waistlines? ONE The Invisible Hand Meets the Unconscious Brain 3 TWO Is the Obesity Epidemic a Consequence of Rational Choices? 13 Part II: The Rise of Behavioral Economics and Soft Paternalism THREE Bank Tellers, Fighter Pilots, and the Limits of Rationality 33 FOUR Cashews, Coffee Mugs, and the Birth of Behavioral Economics 47 FIVE Kinder, Gentler Paternalism 65 Part III: Unconscious Appetites and Expanding Waistlines SIX Irrational Tastes and Bottomless Soup Bowls79 SEVEN Impulsive Behavior and the Battle Between Our Current and Future Selves 91 Part IV: Irrationality at Home, Office, and Hospital EIGHT Spacious Lawns and Long Commutes 115 NINE Risky Feelings and Cigarette Breaks129 TEN The Price of Life and the Cost of Health Care 151 ELEVEN Marketing and the Science of Persuasion 171 TWELVE Balancing Liberty and the Pursuit of Well-Being 191 THIRTEEN Can Government Combat Obesity Without Becoming a Nanny State? 205 Notes 227 Index 241 About the Author 257