In "The Economic Approach to Human Behavior", Gary Becker describes his explanation of the "economic approach" as how individuals choose the price they are willing to pay paying for a good as a rational choice determined by the profit of the good, based on their preferences for that good. Becker believes that prices, preferences, profits, and costs can include intangibles or unknowns. Therefore, Becker's "economic approach to human behavior" is the belief that any human decision can be explained by a cost-benefit analysis by the decision maker with the available information, in which he/she decides that the utility obtained making that choice is greater than the cost. The amount of information collected to make a decision is also determined by preferences regarding the amount of information needed to make a decision and the cost of acquiring that information. He believes that just because the preferences behind an individual's decision are not understood, it does not mean that the individual did not make a rational decision. Using this approach, all human behavior and decisions can be rationalized because the approach explains how individuals make their decisions, not necessarily the specifics of why. The “economic approach to human behavior” is able to explain all human actions and behaviors because it takes into account unknowns that are not necessarily explicitly explained in the approach. Any factor that leads to an unexplained decision is still considered a change in preferences; Becker cites aging as an example. People's preferences change as they age, leading to different decisions. Changing biology in the brain can lead to preferences that change over time, such as needing less sleep as we get older. Paper-based approaches to economics can be more specific in defining outcomes with certain information, the economic approach, as explained by Becker, is more adaptable to all situations. Becker's economic approach is limited compared to other methods of explaining human behavior in that it can only provide a context for the decision procedure. Although his approach is limited, he explains what others might consider “irrational” behavior as still part of rational decision making, leading Becker's economic approach to be applicable to “all human motivations and behaviors.” Works CitedBecker, Gary. 1986. “Chapter 4: The Economic Approach to Human Behavior.” In: Rational choice. New York: New York University Press.ThirteenWNET. Curious: decisions, decisions. Steven Quartz and Colin Camerer. August 27. 2008. .