Predictably Irrational  (English, Paperback, Ariely Dan)

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, written by Dan Ariely, talks about how some patterns mess with the mind and force people into making irrational decisions, while assuming them to be completely rational.

Summary Of The Book

Smart people are often seen taking unconventional ways and making irrational decisions. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions takes readers on an intriguing ride which shows why we all make illogical decisions. The core of the subject is reached by explaining the strange behavior of people, whereas the reason for the same lies right in people’s minds.

The author in Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, talks about how people assume that they are making intelligent decisions based on a rational thought process. Discussions on different modes of thinking are introduced in this book, against the traditional theory of rational choice. It explains how emotions, expectations and various other invisible factors play a big role in forcing us to overpay, procrastinate and underestimate.

The book provides a vivid description about the pattern people follow in repeating the same mistakes over and over systematically. Lots of scientific experiments are given, along with the findings from research, that support this school of thought.

Predictably Irrational consists of 15 chapters such as The Truth About Relativity, The Cost of Social Norms, The Power of Price, Keeping Doors Open, The Problem of Procrastination and Self-Control and The Fallacy of Supply and Demand. They aim at changing the way people interact with the world with respect to day-to-day actions.

Written by Dan Ariely, Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions was published in 2008. This book aims at making people observe their behavior and learn to avoid the mistakes gradually. The author makes use of anecdotes that are amusing in many situations. Everyday experiences are taken into consideration while explaining concepts, and these help readers relate to their routine and recognize the patterns.

About Dan Ariely

Dan Ariely is an Israeli American author of bestselling novels and is a professor who teaches psychology and behavioral economics.

Dan Ariely has written other books such as The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home and The Honest Truth about Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone - Especially Ourselves.

Dan Ariely was born on April 29th, 1967, in New York City. He completed his Ph.D. in 1996 from the University of North Carolina in Cognitive Psychology. Furthermore, he received his second doctorate in 1998 from Duke University in Business Administration. He’s currently teaching at Duke University and founded The Center for Advanced Hindsight. He also co-founded BEworks. He has also published many articles in his field of study. He got married to Sumi, with whom he has two children.