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.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Fascinating study about how we view choices
I can't rave enough about this book. 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 ... Read More
Rating: - 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, ... Read More
Rating: - 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 ... Read More
Rating: - Amazing wouldn't begin to describe this book
At 270 pages (including TOC, Indices etc), this book 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 ... Read More
Rating: - Worth $700 Billion, at least...
Predictably Irrational is fascinating; Predictably Irrational is informative; and Predictably Irrational is important. It will raise your awareness of all the cognitive glitches that make us do really stupid things ... Read More
- Cause for concern
- Well written, can't put it down!