Monkeys and Marketplaces: Insights into Economic Behavior

This chapter examines a research project that investigates the economic decision-making of monkeys, particularly capuchins and rhesus monkeys, through a token-based marketplace. It reveals how these monkeys display rational shopping behaviors while also exploring the cognitive biases that govern both human and animal choices, like loss aversion and the endowment effect. The discussion draws parallels between evolutionary strategies and modern decision-making processes, providing valuable insights into the fundamental nature of economic behavior across species.