Proxynomics is a portmanteau which we use to describe the more unwieldy decision-making for self and others. People make a number of really important and a perhaps even greater number of somewhat more trivial decisions every day. The last 30 years of decision-making research have rendered the idea that decision-makers are primarily guided by rational processes, embodied in the idea of homo economicus, little more than a straw man. The goal of our research is to understand the decisions we make for ourselves and the decisions we make for other people. What are the processes which determine the deviation from a rational optimum? How can we improve the decisions we make? How do our interpersonal connections influence the decisions we make for other people?

We study decision-making using a range of behavioural economics games and tasks and GSR measures. We also study perspective-taking using a range of novel and established socio-cognitive tasks. We use a question-driven approach, such that the question dictates the method we use.