However, on a closer analysis, this vision of humanity as a voracious horde of self-serving novelty-seekers turns out to be at best incomplete and at worst wildly inaccurate. A more sophisticated psychology recognises a richer palette of motivation involving other-regarding as well as self-regarding behaviours; and a taste for tradition as well as a thirst for the frontier. We have selfish side to us, but only economists really believe that's all there is to it. The good news is that we don't need a radical change in human nature to achieve lasting prosperity. The bad news is, the economic model is profoundly out of whack.