 
Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 153.83
EAN: 9780061353239
Format: Roughcut
ISBN: 006135323X
Label: HarperCollins
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 304
Publication Date: February 19, 2008
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: February 19, 2008
Studio: HarperCollins
Sales Rank: 124
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Product Description:
- 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.
Average Rating: 
Rating: -
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 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 ... Read More
Rating:  -
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 ... Read More
Rating:  -
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?). ... Read More
Rating: -
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 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 ... Read More
Rating: -
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-- even if we are otherwise really smart (or at least think we are...) Its fundamental principles have been discussed in other reviews, so I will hold back from repeating them, but make no mistake, they are worth reading for yourself. I wish that this book were not only included among standard economic ... Read More
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