Cheap talk – Game Theory's insights on communication | with Navin Kartik
About this episode
Yale Professor Navin Kartik discusses the game theory of communication, exploring concepts like cheap talk, lying costs, and the implications of inflated language.
Talk is cheap – literally. But if words cost nothing, why do we ever trust them? In this episode, Yale Professor Navin Kartik breaks down the game theory of communication. We kick things off with the basics: what is the academic definition of "cheap talk", and why does cheap talk sometimes work but other times break down? From there, we transition to Navin's own research, which explores deeper facets of communication. We learn about lying costs and " inflated language" : why does a reference letter need to say "excellent" to just mean "competent"? Finally, we dive into topics like pandering (why experts lie to agree with you) and muddled information (why test scores tell you more about gaming skills than natural ability).
People in this episode
Guest: Navin Kartik
Topics covered
- communication
- game theory
- cheap talk
- lying costs
- inflated language
- pandering
- muddled information
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Yale
More episodes of Game Changer - the game theory podcast
- The Digital Search Paradox – Game Theory, Platforms and Endless Choice | with Sarah Auster
- A loser for every winner? Causes and implications of zero-sum thinking | with Nageeb Ali
- The Missing Middle – How Market Design Gets Built for the Public Sector | with Thilo Klein
- Beauty contest – what guessing numbers tells us about Game Theory | with Rosemarie Nagel
- Not the Game You Think: Why Cheap Renewables Don't Mean Cheap Electricity | with Natalia Fabra
- Clones & Creative Ownership: Economics in the Age of AI | with Annie Liang
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Game Changer - the game theory podcast podcast page.