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 for a good as a rational choice. determined by the gain of the good, based on their preferences for that good. Becker believes that prices, preferences, gains and costs can include intangible or unknown elements. Thus, Becker's "economic approach to human behavior" is the belief that any human decision can be explained by a cost-benefit analysis carried out by the decision maker with the available information, where he decides that the utility gained by 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 underlying an individual's decision are not understood does not mean that the individual has not made a rational decision. Through this approach, all human behaviors and decisions can be rationalized because the approach explains how individuals make their decisions, not necessarily the details of why. The “economic approach to human behavior” is capable of explaining all human actions and behaviors because it takes into account unknowns that are not necessarily explicitly explained in the approach. Any factor leading to an unexplained decision is always considered a change in preferences; Becker cites aging as an example. People's preferences change as they age, leading to different decisions. Evolving brain biology can lead to preferences that change over time, such as the need to sleep less as we age. Middle of paper......economic approaches can be more specific in defining outcomes with given information, the economic approach 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 context for the decision-making procedure. Although her approach is limited, she explains what others may consider "irrational" behavior as still part of rational decision-making, leading to Becker's economic approach being applicable to "all motivations and all human behaviors. 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 Camerar. August 27. 2008. .