The behaviorists who talk about workplace happiness will tell you that job satisfaction is driven by a sense of appreciation.

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This finding is confirmed by 30 years of research, ranging from "behaviorists" such as Robert Shiller and Richard Thaler to "efficient marketers" such as Eugene Fama and Ken French, to "economists" such as John Campbell and myself.

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Behaviorists reject the classic economic theory of human beings as ultra-rational self-interested actors and, drawing on psychology, examine the causes of seemingly irrational economic choices, such as not taking advantage of money offered in an employer-provided retirement plan or giving away more money to charity than can be explained by purely selfish motives.

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