THERE was a time when economics was widely seen as a graph-strewn study of exchange rates, gross domestic product and the like. Tim Harford's 2005 bestseller, “The Undercover Economist”, was a book that has helped shift that perception by bringing the not-so-dismal science to a wider audience.

Mr Harford's second book, “The Logic of Life”, stakes out similar ground. Once again he eschews chalkboard economics in favour of a reader-friendly guide to the economics of everyday life. The result is a fascinating study of how society is shaped by hidden pay-offs and punishments. Compulsive gambling or inflated boardroom pay might seem like madness, but look closer, says Mr Harford, and you find a kind of logic.

The author sees rational calculation everywhere—even, or perhaps especially, in matters of love. Romantic types might say they seek the perfect soulmate but the revealed truth is more prosaic. Marriages are market-based transactions, swayed by supply (what is available) as much as demand (what the heart desires). Men may prefer slim women and women favour tall men, but both will alter their demands in response to market conditions. Suitors settle for what is on offer now, even if plumper or shorter than the ideal, rather than hold out for the perfect partner.

The book surveys shelf after shelf of the economics literature but in such skilful hands it does not feel like a dutiful trip to the library. Economists are often too beguiled by elegant theories, but Mr Harford wisely confines himself to ideas that have been carefully tested against real life. Only thorough research could discern that residents of high-rise buildings are more likely to be victims of crime, because stacked tenants make for poor monitors of the surrounding streets. Even the excellent chapter on game theory has a practical hero: the card player, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, who applied its lessons to win the poker world championship in 2000.

Mr Harford, who works at theFinancial Times, is an amiable guide for the non-specialist reader, neither too lofty nor dumbed-down. The book's tone is breezy, but his command of the subject is such that even a well-schooled economist will discover much that is new. It is not a wonkish tome, but its broad policy prescriptions are clear enough. Since behaviour is governed by incentives, the way to achieve different outcomes is to alter the pay-offs carefully.

One of the merits of “The Logic of Life” is its variety. Subjects range from the terrifying logic of “rational racism” to a cold calculus of divorce rates. If you want to know which poker hands to bluff with, why neighbourhoods with permanent residents have more road crossings or why digital communication makes the world spikier not flatter, Mr Harford's book provides some answers. And it does it all without an exchange-rate graph in sight.

经济学曾被普遍认为是对诸如汇率，国内生产总值等方面的一种图表研究。2005年，在畅销书籍《秘密经济学家》中，作者蒂姆"哈福德(Tim Harford)描述的不甚枯燥乏味的科学知识已开始在转变广大读者的此类看法。

哈福德先生的第二本著作《生活的逻辑》也同样在尝试改变读者对经济学的看法。在这本书中，作者秉承了前书的风格，绕开了生硬的说教，用读者喜闻乐见的方式介绍了日常生活中的经济学。作者在社会如何被隐性支付和刑罚塑造成型上取得的研究硕果。读者对本书也是兴趣盎然。在书中，哈福德先生认为，强迫性赌博或飞涨的董事会薪酬虽看似荒诞不经，但细究之下，读者将会从中得出其内在的逻辑。

作者认为理性的考虑是无处不在，甚至适用于情场，或许仅适用于情场。浪漫型的人士可能声称自己在寻觅完美无暇的红颜知己，然而，呈现的真相却十分平淡无奇。婚姻是基于市场的交易，但受供（现实中所有）求（内心中所需）两个因素的影响。男士可能更青睐身量苗条的女士，女士可能更仰慕身材颀长的男士，但双方会根据市场状况变更要求。求婚者可勉强地接受近在眼前的对象而不愿执着地追求完美伴侣，即使对方是身形丰腴或体格矮小，并远非理想。

本书参阅大量经济学文献，但作者娴熟的运用能力却使读者并不感到本书参考过大量书籍。经济学家往往过于沉迷优雅的理论，但哈福德先生却明智地只专注于现实生活精心考验的看法。只有通过研究可得出，高楼大厦中的居民更有可能成为犯罪活动的受害者，因为高处的住户更易成为周边街道穷困监视者攻击的对象。即使是介绍博弈论的优秀篇章也会引用现实中的英雄做为例证：玩牌人Chris “Jesus” Ferguson曾运用此理论在2000年世界扑克锦标赛中胜出。

任职于《金融时报》的哈福德先生是非专业读者的亲和向导，既不过于高傲，也不愚笨。本书基调轻快活泼，作者对主题的把握是如此娴熟以至那些受过良好教育的经济学家也会发现书中大多内容比较新颖。本书并非一部不可靠的大型书卷，但书中概括的政策处方已足够清晰。行为受激励控制，因此，达到不同目的的途径就在于对支付的审慎取舍。

《生活的逻辑》的价值之一就在于书中题材的多样性。题材范围涉及到"理性的种族主义"这一可怕逻辑和关于离婚率的冷冰冰数字。哪位牌手在虚张声势，为何长住居民区有较多的道路交叉点，或者为何数字通信令世界变得更为复杂多变而不是顺利前进，如果读者对此感到好奇，不妨参阅本书。哈福德先生在书中提供了部分解答。在书中，汇率图表难觅影踪,却解决了所有问题。