Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

By: Dan Ariely  

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Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5

• 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.

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release Date: 2008-02-19

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Extremely Interesting - This book is extremely interesting and a quick read. I couldn't put it down. I do not have an economics or business background but I found the topic of behavioral economics to be very interesting.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Amazing read - This book is awesome. Basically distills a number of fields and ideas that most will already have had exposure with via living, school, etc - but does so with wit and great craftsmanship. Points out our shared irrationality in a novel, entertaining and education fashion.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Factual yet Entertaining - This is such a great book that explains how predictable our mind works and despite so we often are irrational in making decision.
I really enjoy reading the book and I am sure you definitely will as somehow those irrationalities mentioned in this book were hardwired into our DNA.

Customer Review: 3 out of 5
Predictably monotone - The premise is interesting, but the writing style didn't capture my interest. A lot of repetition. Yielded some useful insight. Overall, worth reading, even in a cursory manner.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Why do we think that way???!!! - This was an excellent read. It was entertaining and moved very fast. He provided a lot of information about how we thought and the ways we thought. If you are even remotely interested in how the human mind works, this is an excellent read. We are not the rational animals that we think we are and this book points out all of our lovable quirks.

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