How The Somatic Marker Hypothesis Shapes Financial Choices

Behavioral Economics with Fexingo: Decision Making, Bias, and How People Really Spend · Oct 17, 2026 · 10m · transcript

Lucas and Luna explore the Somatic Marker Hypothesis, a concept from neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, to understand how bodily sensations guide financial decision-making. They examine why people often ignore logical data in favor of gut feelings rooted in past emotional experiences. Using examples from trading floors and consumer credit markets, they explain how physical responses like tension or relief act as invisible heuristics. This episode challenges the traditional view that rational analysis is always superior, suggesting that our bodies hold critical information about risk and reward…