Plot Summary
Behavioral economics studies the effects of outside factors on economic decisions. These factors can include social and emotional inputs that may not be conducive for making the best decisions. Our own very personal expectations and emotions hamper our ability to use reason when making decisions about money. Social norms also play a role, even when we think we are making the choice based on what we want.
In short, economic decision making isn't always rational. One of the leaders of the field, Dan Ariely, wrote Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions while working at MIT, based on the experiments he conducted as well as those of his colleagues. The book pairs everyday events with the outcomes of these experiments. The results can be comical, because we can often relate to the irrational ways of those who participate in the experiments.
Ariely sees it as a part of the human condition to continually overpay, underestimate and procrastinate, as illogical as all of these things are to any reasonable person. The irrational decisions aren't random, though. They are very predictable in most people, meaning you can learn to overcome these patterns and make better, more reasonable economic choices.
Ariely is best known as the author of two New York Times bestsellers, Predictably Irrational and The Upside of Irrationality. He also serves as a professor of psychology at Duke University. He is known for his work in behavioral economics, including the founding of the Center for Advanced Hindsight at Duke. There he and his colleagues research the psychology behind money-related decisions, rational decision making and even cheating. His latest book is titled The Honest Truth about Dishonesty. Ariely was born in New York City, but raised in Israel.
"What makes us tick ... how do we make decisions ... this book really made me think. I did not agree with everything the author said and think I would do some of the things differently; but the overall message of the book is fascinating.
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Beth (4 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
Why do our headaches persist after taking a one-cent aspirin but disappear when we take a 50-cent aspirin? Why does recalling the 10 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 25 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.
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About Dan Ariely
Dan Ariely is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Predictably Irrational and The Upside of Irrationality. He is the James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Duke University and is the founder of the Center for Advanced Hindsight. His work has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and elsewhere.
About Simon Jones
Simon Jones is an English actor and award-winning audiobook narrator. Besides winning many AudioFile Earphones Awards for narration, he has won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration, including for top prize of Audiobook of the Year. He was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine and as “Narrator of the Year” in 2005 by Publishers Weekly. As an actor, he has been featured in numerous Broadway productions and has appeared in the films The Devil’s Own, Twelve Monkeys, For Love or Money, Green Card, Brazil, Monty Python’s Meaning of Life, and Miracle on 34th Street remake. His television appearances include a role in The Cosby Mysteries and Murder She Wrote. He studied at Cambridge University and the legendary Cambridge Footlights Dramatic Club.