I’ve observed a troubling pattern in many people’s lives. They operate from a zero-sum mentality, believing that for them to win, someone else must lose. Then they wonder why they remain stuck at zero ...

One idea unites the left and right lately: a zero-sum view of the world. Unfortunately, nice as it would be to hail a rare instance of ideological harmony, both sides are very much mistaken. Perhaps ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. The psychology of success and wealth and the power of capitalism. “Zero-sum beliefs” are the basis of all socialist ideologies.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks during a public swearing-in ceremony for Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, on the steps of City Hall in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) The two ...

To paraphrase (again) the British politician and historian Thomas Babington Macaulay: People always think that life has been improving — up until their own time, that is. Somehow they don’t expect ...

Some situations in life are zero-sum. On Super Bowl Sunday, two teams take the field but only one will emerge victorious, Vince Lombardi Trophy in hand. In a presidential election, only one candidate ...

What is the real reason behind Trump’s punitive tariffs? Two beliefs that have frequently wreaked havoc in the past. Throughout history, absurd economic theories have repeatedly caused immense damage.

Zero-sum thinking has spread like a mind virus, from geopolitics to pop culture. Credit...Photo illustration by Pablo Delcan Supported by By Damien Cave Damien covers global affairs. He is based in ...

In our interconnected world, the family dynamic is always evolving. For many, the notion of family expands beyond traditional boundaries to include egg and sperm donors and half-siblings. However, a ...

Allison Schrager is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering economics. A senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, she is author of “An Economist Walks Into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to ...