Economic Man was a selfish, self-interested individual popularized in 1776 by Adam Smith as a means to showcase how economies could operate at an efficient and effective manner. According to Smith
, individuals are better off in the long term if they seek to optimize their personal wealth in the most efficient manner possible without regard for the “public good”. Societies at large, however, were
also seen as the benefactors of selfish individualistic behavior by default, an unforeseen positive consequence guided by Smith's famous “invisible hand.”