Making Sense of Israel: Psychological Biases as Shapers of National Stories
Making Sense of Israel: Psychological Biases as Shapers of National Stories
The events of the last two years in Israel have highlighted the importance of how people interpret and describe the world in radically different ways. This talk will describe some psychological biases that help sustain and perpetuate the stories people tell in making sense of modern Israel. Dr. Tal will discuss how the biases explored in Behavioral Economics allow Israelis to see and experience alternative realities, which in turn shape their thoughts, feelings, opinions, and actions.
Dr. Aner Tal is the Israel Institute Visiting Professor at the University of Maryland’s Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies. He is the head of the marketing specialization at The College of Law and Business in Ramat-Gan, Israel, where he has also served as the head of the International Program. He has taught courses in Entrepreneurship and Product Development, Marketing, Applied Psychology, and Behavioral Economics, and has guided research seminars for both graduate and undergraduate students. His research focuses on irrationality and cognitive distortions. Specifically, he examines how our environment influences behavior, evaluation and experience without our awareness. As a consultant, Dr. Tal helps companies improve their products, designs, and presentation of information in a way that would be friendlier and more effective with customers.