The basic assumption of human behavior that economists make is that people:

care only about others.
make decisions on the basis of costs and benefits.
worry about how other people act.
have no control over their behavior, which is totally determined by environment.


The reading selection suggests that the assumption of self-interest is most likely to be inappropriate:

in interactions among people who have affection for one another.
when cooperation is evident.
in an economy based on socialism rather than capitalism.
in interactions among anonymous strangers.


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