Predictably Irrational
Predictably Irrational refutes the common assumption that people behave in fundamentally rational ways. From drinking coffee to losing weight, from buying a car to choosing a romantic partner, we consistently overpay, underestimate, and procrastinate. When it comes to making decisions in our lives, we think we're making smart, rational choices. But are we? Yet these misguided behaviors are neither random nor senseless. They're systematic and predictable—making us predictably irrational.
“This is a wonderful, eye-opening book. Deep, readable, and providing refreshing evidence that there are domains and situations in which material incentives work in unexpected ways. We humans are humans, with qualities that can be destroyed by the introduction of economic gains. A must read!”
— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, New York Times bestselling author of The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
“Sly and lucid. . . . Predictably Irrational is a far more revolutionary book than its unthreatening manner lets on.”
— New York Times
“Surprisingly entertaining. . . . Easy to read. . . . Ariely’s book makes economics and the strange happenings of the human mind fun.”
— USA Today
“A fascinating romp through the science of decision-making that unmasks the ways that emotions, social norms, expectations, and context lead us astray.”
“In creative ways, author Dan Ariely puts rationality to the test. . . . New experiments and optimistic ideas tumble out of him, like water from a fountain.”
— Boston Globe
“An entertaining tour of the many ways people act against their best interests, drawing on Ariely’s own ingeniously designed experiments. . . . Personal and accessible.”
— BusinessWeek
“Ariely’s book addresses some weighty issues . . . with an unexpected dash of humor.”
— Entertainment Weekly
“Inventive. . . . An accessible account. . . . Ariely is a more than capable storyteller . . . If only more researchers could write like this, the world would be a better place.”
“Ariely’s intelligent, exuberant style and thought-provoking arguments make for a fascinating, eye-opening read.”
— Publishers Weekly
“A taxonomy of financial folly.”