As I dig deeper and deeper into the study of Economics, there are so many things that are quite fascinating... For me the fascinating topics seem to come from non-business related materials such as evolutionary economics, and complexity theory... However, an interesting topic that I've recently come across actually brushes arms with business (actually, finance): behavioral economics. An article written about Rober Shiller on last September's issue of Fast Company talks about this very concept of behavioral economics where the society is full of rich idiots blind for money and how they'll eventually bring down the entire economy. Ok, it doesn't exactly say that... It says that the behavioral power of human forces that compel people to do what they do will triumph; the economy can and will be effected by emotions and psychology. Not exactly earth-shattering to mere mortals, but it certainly goes against most dry quantitative economic textbooks.

Looking at the recent dot bombing and the recession, it is kinda scary to think that the economy was (actually still is, but they're simply waiting for the next big thing) in the hands of these insane money-hungry investors and venture capitalists whose emotions drove the stock market to its peaks and then just dropped it from the top at a speed that makes Ferrari Modena's 0-60 mph record look like eternity. Despite the fact that it took a rather nasty economic downfall to prove this concept, it is a rather interesting intersection between psychology and economics. Isn't it pathetic that we have to try and justify the numerous lay offs and the rest of the recession by turning to intellectual satisfaction... *SIGH*