Whether investigating a solution to global warming or explaining why the price of oral sex has fallen so drastically, Levitt and Dubner mix smart thinking and great storytelling to show how people respond to incentives.

How is a street prostitute like a department-store santa? -- Why should suicide bombers buy life insurance? -- Unbelievable stories about apathy and altruism -- The chlorine solution and the jellyfish fix -- What do Al Gore and Mount Pinatubo have in common? -- Epilogue : monkeys are people too.