Hate the Game
Economic Cheat Codes for Life, Love, and Work
9780226839523
9780226838489
Hate the Game
Economic Cheat Codes for Life, Love, and Work
The secret insights of economics, translated for the rest of us.
Should I buy or rent? Do I ask for a promotion? Should I tell people I’m pregnant? What salary do I deserve? Should I just quit this job? Common anxieties about life are often grounded in economics. In an increasingly win-lose society, these economic decisions—where to work, where to live, even how to live—have a way of feeling fixed and mistakes terminal.
Daryl Fairweather is no stranger to these dynamics. As the first Black woman to receive an economics PhD from the famed University of Chicago, she saw firsthand how concepts of behavioral economics and game theory were deployed in the real world—and in her own life—to great effect. Hate the Game combines Fairweather’s elite knowledge of these principles with her singular voice in describing how they can be harnessed. Her great talent, unique among economists, is her ability to articulate economic trends in a way that is not just informative, but also accounts for life’s other anxieties.
In Hate the Game, Fairweather fixes her expertise and service on navigating the earliest economic inflection points of adult life: whether to go to college and for how long; partnering, having kids, both, or neither; getting, keeping, and changing jobs; and where to live and how to pay for it. She speaks in actionable terms about what the economy means for individual people, especially those who have the sneaking suspicion they’re losing out. Set against her own experiences and enriched with lessons from history, science, and pop culture, Fairweather instructs readers on how to use game theory and behavioral science to map out options and choose directions while offering readers a sense of control and agency in an economy where those things are increasingly rare.
Should I buy or rent? Do I ask for a promotion? Should I tell people I’m pregnant? What salary do I deserve? Should I just quit this job? Common anxieties about life are often grounded in economics. In an increasingly win-lose society, these economic decisions—where to work, where to live, even how to live—have a way of feeling fixed and mistakes terminal.
Daryl Fairweather is no stranger to these dynamics. As the first Black woman to receive an economics PhD from the famed University of Chicago, she saw firsthand how concepts of behavioral economics and game theory were deployed in the real world—and in her own life—to great effect. Hate the Game combines Fairweather’s elite knowledge of these principles with her singular voice in describing how they can be harnessed. Her great talent, unique among economists, is her ability to articulate economic trends in a way that is not just informative, but also accounts for life’s other anxieties.
In Hate the Game, Fairweather fixes her expertise and service on navigating the earliest economic inflection points of adult life: whether to go to college and for how long; partnering, having kids, both, or neither; getting, keeping, and changing jobs; and where to live and how to pay for it. She speaks in actionable terms about what the economy means for individual people, especially those who have the sneaking suspicion they’re losing out. Set against her own experiences and enriched with lessons from history, science, and pop culture, Fairweather instructs readers on how to use game theory and behavioral science to map out options and choose directions while offering readers a sense of control and agency in an economy where those things are increasingly rare.
272 pages | 2 halftones | 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 | © 2025
Economics and Business: Economics--General Theory and Principles
Reviews
Table of Contents
A Note from the Author
Introduction
1. Inside Game, Outside Game
Negotiating Power
Graduating into Uncertainty
Comparative Advantage
Game Recap
2. Choosing Games
Skill versus Luck
Rules and Starting Conditions
Marginal Benefit and Marginal Cost
Cheating
When to Challenge the Rules
The Value of Winning
Changing Goals
Game Recap
3. Information Is an Advantage
Ultimatums
Deception
Fearing the Unknown
Negotiating under Uncertainty
Overthinking
Mitigating Risk
Game Recap
4. Dreams of Dream Jobs
Differentiating Yourself
Selecting the Optimal Employer
Moving for a New Job
Creating the Perfect Resumé
Preparing for a Job Interview
Playing the Interview Game
Curating References
Unanimous Decisions
Game Recap
5. Buying a Home
Deciding to Move
Understanding the Housing Market
Creating a Housing Budget
Identifying Needs and Wants
Avoiding Common Mistakes
Bidding on a Home
Game Recap
6. Workplace Conflict
Workplace Bullies
Employee Satisfaction
Gender Stereotypes in the Workplace
Evade or Confront?
Identifying Enemies and Allies
Signaling Strength
Game Recap
7. Getting Promoted
The Meritocracy Myth
The Challenges of Performance Evaluations
Backward Induction: The Secret Path to Victory
Corporate Hierarchies
Influencing the Kingmakers
The Importance of Allies
Game Recap
8. Balancing Family and Career
Social Pressures and Gender Norms
Marriage Is a Game
The Benefits of Commitment
Marriage as a Financial Strategy
Working while Pregnant
Unconscious Bias
Discrimination and the Persistence of Stereotypes
Game Recap
9. Knowing Your Worth
Reassessing Inside Options
Understanding Reference Points
Higher-Order Beliefs
When the Keep Your Mouth Shut
Signaling Outside Options
Bluffing
Knowing Your Worth
Game Recap
10. Optimizing Your Life
When Optimizing Isn’t an Option
Saving
Investing
Rebalancing Work and Life
Game Recap
11. Selling a Home
Assessing Home Values
Preparing to Sell
Setting the Price
Selecting a Buyer
Game Recap
12. A Code For Winners
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Glossary
Notes
Index
Introduction
1. Inside Game, Outside Game
Negotiating Power
Graduating into Uncertainty
Comparative Advantage
Game Recap
2. Choosing Games
Skill versus Luck
Rules and Starting Conditions
Marginal Benefit and Marginal Cost
Cheating
When to Challenge the Rules
The Value of Winning
Changing Goals
Game Recap
3. Information Is an Advantage
Ultimatums
Deception
Fearing the Unknown
Negotiating under Uncertainty
Overthinking
Mitigating Risk
Game Recap
4. Dreams of Dream Jobs
Differentiating Yourself
Selecting the Optimal Employer
Moving for a New Job
Creating the Perfect Resumé
Preparing for a Job Interview
Playing the Interview Game
Curating References
Unanimous Decisions
Game Recap
5. Buying a Home
Deciding to Move
Understanding the Housing Market
Creating a Housing Budget
Identifying Needs and Wants
Avoiding Common Mistakes
Bidding on a Home
Game Recap
6. Workplace Conflict
Workplace Bullies
Employee Satisfaction
Gender Stereotypes in the Workplace
Evade or Confront?
Identifying Enemies and Allies
Signaling Strength
Game Recap
7. Getting Promoted
The Meritocracy Myth
The Challenges of Performance Evaluations
Backward Induction: The Secret Path to Victory
Corporate Hierarchies
Influencing the Kingmakers
The Importance of Allies
Game Recap
8. Balancing Family and Career
Social Pressures and Gender Norms
Marriage Is a Game
The Benefits of Commitment
Marriage as a Financial Strategy
Working while Pregnant
Unconscious Bias
Discrimination and the Persistence of Stereotypes
Game Recap
9. Knowing Your Worth
Reassessing Inside Options
Understanding Reference Points
Higher-Order Beliefs
When the Keep Your Mouth Shut
Signaling Outside Options
Bluffing
Knowing Your Worth
Game Recap
10. Optimizing Your Life
When Optimizing Isn’t an Option
Saving
Investing
Rebalancing Work and Life
Game Recap
11. Selling a Home
Assessing Home Values
Preparing to Sell
Setting the Price
Selecting a Buyer
Game Recap
12. A Code For Winners
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Glossary
Notes
Index