Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions - Hardcover

Ariely, Dan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007256523 ISBN 13: 9780007256525

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2008

Synopsis

Why do smart people make irrational decisions every day? The answers will surprise you. Predictably Irrational is an intriguing, witty and utterly original look at why we all make illogical decisions.

Why can a 50p aspirin do what a 5p aspirin can't? If an item is "free" it must be a bargain, right? Why is everything relative, even when it shouldn't be? How do our expectations influence our actual opinions and decisions?

In this astounding book, behavioural economist Dan Ariely cuts to the heart of our strange behaviour, demonstrating how irrationality often supplants rational thought and that the reason for this is embedded in the very structure of our minds.

Predicatably Irrational brilliantly blends everyday experiences with a series of illuminating and often surprising experiments, that will change your understanding of human behaviour. And, by recognising these patterns, Ariely shows that we can make better decisions in business, in matters of collective welfare, and in our everyday lives from drinking coffee to losing weight, buying a car to choosing a romantic partner.

About this title

About the Author

Dan Ariely is the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Behavioral Economics at MIT. His work has been featured in leading scholarly journals as well as a variety of popular media outlets, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Business 2.0, Scientific American, and Science. He has also been featured on CNN and National Public Radio. Dan publishes widely in the leading scholarly journals in economics, psychology, and business. His work has been featured in a variety of media including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Business 2.0, Scientific American, Science and CNN. He splits his time between Princeton, NJ, and Cambridge, MA.

From the Back Cover

An intelligent, lively, humorous and thoroughly engaging look at why we often make illogical decisions - a must-have for fans of 'Freakonomics' and 'Blink'.

Why does headache pain persist after taking an asprin that costs 1p, but disappear after swallowing a pill that costs 50 times that amount? Why does recalling the Ten Commandments reduce our tendency to lie? Why, after extensive research on a particular car model, can a random meeting with someone who expresses a negative opinion on the car change our decision to buy? Why do we make choices contrary to our better judgement? And what exactly is "better judgement"?

In this astounding book, behavioural economist Dan Ariely cuts to the heart of our strange behaviour. In 'Predictably Irrational' he demonstrates how irrationality often supplants rational thought - especially when we most 'need to be level-headed' - and explains why.

From the Inside Flap

If the behaviours that skew our judgements were random or senseless, we'd be hard put to sort them out and make better decisions. But as the research described in this book shows, our irrationalities are, in fact, systematic. People will make the same types of mistakes over and over, in a predictive manner, because the causes of these behaviours are embedded in the very structure of our minds. This is why recognizing these mistakes and understanding them offers us a way to do better.

And that's the aim of this book: to leave the reader with new knowledge of human nature derived from a wide range of scientific experiments and findings, knowledge that will help all of us make better decisions in our personal life, our business life, and in the choices we all need to make about our collective welfare.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0007256523
• ISBN 13: 9780007256525
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304