One might assume that real estate agents will look out for their clients’ interests, both because of their financial motives and because they’re nice people. However, when we apply mathematical analysis to the real estate business, it becomes clear that real estate agents’
incentives, regardless of their personalities or moral convictions, don’t line up with those of their clients’. In general, studying incentives is a good way to predict how people will behave, even if such a form of analysis can be surprising and even disturbing.