So, rational choice theory is a big topic, huh?

Well, one thing I can say for sure

is that it's a pretty popular way of thinking about human decision-making.
Essentially, rational choice theory posits that people are rational actors who make
decisions based on what they perceive as being in their best interest. Of course,
there are plenty of critiques of this idea (and its many variations), and some
argue that people don't always behave rationally or have access to all the
information they need to make truly informed choices. At the same time, though,
it's hard to deny that rational choice theory has helped set the stage for a lot of
research into fields like economics and political science. In short? Rational
choice theory isn't perfect by any means, but it's definitely been an influential
way of looking at how humans make decisions over the years.