# The physics of (ir)rational choice

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a unified framework for decision-making inspired by the Ising model, capable of explaining both rational choices and violations of rationality by representing choices as a graph.

## Contribution

It proposes a novel, physics-inspired model that unifies rational and irrational decision-making processes within a single framework.

## Key findings

- The model can replicate observed violations of rationality.
- It provides a graph-based representation of choice problems.
- The framework bridges classical rational models and behavioral anomalies.

## Abstract

Even though classic theories and models of discrete choice pose man as a rational being, it has been shown extensively that people persistently violate rationality in their actual choices. Recent models of decision-making take these violations often (partially) into account, however, a unified framework has not been established. Here we propose such a framework, inspired by the Ising model from statistical physics, and show that representing choice problems as a graph, together with a simple choice process, allows us to explain both rational decisions as well as violations of rationality.