Revealed Preference
Six stated-vs-revealed-preference pairs: cookies, reading habits, phone use, gambling, climate change and the 'why are you hitting yourself' gag.
Content note: Gambling harm; climate politics; Batman fan-fiction joke.
Use this cartoon
Free for classrooms, worksheets, slides and other non-commercial use under CC BY-NC 4.0, with credit to Ben Orlin.
Cartoon by Ben Orlin, Math with Bad Drawings. https://cartoons.mathwithbaddrawings.com/2025-11-20-revealed-preference/ (CC BY-NC 4.0)Transcript
[1] "REVEALED PREFERENCE: a Math with Bad Drawings guide to a key economic concept" Stated Preference (what people claim to want when asked): "No cookies, thank you. I'm an adult with self-control, not a ravenous brain-dead sugar-goblin." Revealed Preference (what people actually choose to do): NOM NOM NOM
[2] Stated: "What sort of books do you read?" "Oh, you know. Classics. Tomes." "Um… which tomes?" "Mostly the classic ones." Revealed (later that day): "oh Batman, you fool, just KISS HIM"
[3] Stated: "This screen has corroded my mind. My deepest self is now but a bundle of bad habits." Revealed: "I like to spend about 1/3 of my waking life staring at this device, but only if it costs zero dollars."
[4] Stated: "I just gamble a little, and I pretty much break even. It's harmless fun!" Revealed: "I just gamble a lot, at terrible cost to my family and future. It's harmful fun!"
[5] Stated: "We must stop climate change… even if it affects every aspect of our civilization!" Revealed: "We must stop climate change! Unless it affects some aspect of my consumption habits…"
[6] Stated: "I do not wish to hit myself." Revealed: [someone else grabs their arm] "WHY ARE YOU HITTING YOURSELF"