Why do our headaches persist after taking a one-cent aspirin but disappear when we take a 50-cent aspirin?
Why does recalling the Ten Commandments reduce our tendency to lie, even when we couldn't possibly be caught?
Why do we splurge on a lavish meal but cut coupons to save twenty-five cents on a can of soup?
Why do we go back for second helpings at the unlimited buffet, even when our stomachs are already full?
And how did we ever start spending $4.15 on a cup of coffee when, just a few years ago, we used to pay less than a dollar?
When it comes to making decisions in our lives, we think we're in control. We think we're making smart, rational choices. But are we?
In a series of illuminating, often surprising experiments, MIT behavioral economist Dan Ariely refutes the common assumption that we behave in fundamentally rational ways. Blending everyday experience with groundbreaking research, Ariely explains how expectations, emotions, social norms, and other invisible, seemingly illogical forces skew our reasoning abilities.
Not only do we make astonishingly simple mistakes every day, but we make the same types of mistakes, Ariely discovers. We consistently overpay, underestimate, and procrastinate. We fail to understand the profound effects of our emotions on what we want, and we overvalue what we already own. Yet these misguided behaviors are neither random nor senseless. They're systematic and predictable—making us predictably irrational.
From drinking coffee to losing weight, from buying a car to choosing a romantic partner, Ariely explains how to break through these systematic patterns of thought to make better decisions. Predictably Irrational will change the way we interact with the world—one small decision at a time.
What Others Say
Empirical investigations into the unconscious ways humans make seemingly rational decisions.
The crux of Dan Ariely's book "Predictably Irrational" is that humans believe they are rational creatures, yet often base supposedly rational decision making on a host of unconscious, often irrational, criteria. What makes Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions riveting is the fact that Ariely then goes on to show you how he proves his arguments empirically - using experiments whose ingenious simplicity and perception will astound you. The implications of Ariely's experiments are profound: much of classical economics is wrong; public policy based on incorrect assumptions of human decision making are wrong; your own self perception that you are in full conscious control of yourself is wrong. Ariely is aware of these implications and makes them explicit at the end of ... Read More
Fascinating study about how we view choices
I can't rave enough about Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions. From cover to cover, I enjoyed reading about how people view choices and incentives and what kinds of forces exist that distract us from making sound decisions. It truly is a fascinating study into human psychology and its intersection with economics.
I personally disagree with the author's broader interpretation of his studies regarding economic policy and the need for intervention to save people from making poor choices. I argue that even if a person makes an objectively irrational choice, as long as that person perceives the decision to have made him or herself better off, it's ultimately a good choice. Again, objectively, this may not always be the case, but from a subjective standpoint ... Read More
Cause for concern
Predictably Irrational, a book by Daniel Ariely, is an offering from the late capitalist mindset, which presents its thesis with mindboggling simplicity: "If humans had internalised no social values whatsoever, except for those of capitalist materialism, how might we expect them to behave?
The answer -- wait for it -- is obvious, as it is the title of the book that Ariely has written.
Ariely finds these tokens of irrationality everywhere. He finds them in the fact that college males' values shift towards denial of the need to concern themselves with contraception when they are aroused (as compared to the values that they emote when they are not turned on.) He finds this irrationality in the disinclination of his wife to ... Read More
Well written, can't put it down!
One of the best books I've read. Easy to relate to whether you're a marketing professional, or just the average consumer. The patterns are true and the book does a great job illustrating the research and coming up with lots of great real world examples.
I pulled off the expectations stunt with a friend right after reading the book. He came over and wanted some scotch on the rocks. I poured it, handed to him, and he asked what it was. Told him it was 21-year Glenlivet (does that even exist?). He drank nearly the whole thing commenting on it's smoothness, taste, etc. Then I went into talking to him about Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, especially the expectations chapter. Tee'd it up perfectly when I told him he had actually just been drinking J&B Scotch ... Read More
Amazing wouldn't begin to describe this book
At 270 pages (including TOC, Indices etc), Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions is packed with an absolutely mindblowing amount of insight. I say that b/c most of the things described are things most of us seldom if ever consider. Yet they are far from trivial. All in all, this is about the most excellent book I've read. It's interesting, relevant, compelling and important. Each chapter made me rethink things about my life that to date, have been axiomatic as far as I was concerned - and all the changes are for the better. Dan Arielly is truly an admirable and amazing human being and Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisionss contains 270 pages that shows how utterly brilliant he is
I don't think I could find anything to complain about w/ Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, hence the 5 star rating.
