Predictably Irrational

The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

By: Dan Ariely

Narrated by: Simon Jones

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.

©2008 Dan Ariely (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

Critic reviews

‘A marvelous book that is both thought provoking and highly entertaining, ranging from the power of placebos to the pleasures of Pepsi. Ariely unmasks the subtle but powerful tricks that our minds play on us, and shows us how we can prevent being fooled.’ Jerome Groopman, New York Times bestselling author of How Doctors Think

‘PREDICTABLY IRRATIONAL is wildly original. It shows why—much more often than we usually care to admit—humans make foolish, and sometimes disastrous, mistakes. Ariely not only gives us a great read; he also makes us much wiser.’ George Akerlof, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2001 Koshland Professor of Economics, University of California at Berkeley

‘Dan Ariely is one of the most original and consistently interesting social scientists I know. His research covers an unusually broad range of topics, and in every one of them he has produced some distinctive findings and ideas. His methodological inventiveness is remarkable.’ Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Prize in Economics, 2002

Changes how you think

It is amazing with research to demonstrate how wrong our assumptions can be. I was surprised how honest we are given the chance to cheat.

Great narration and interesting studies

The narration was really excellent and made the humor in the book really come across. Also enjoyed that many of the studies in this book were actually undertaken by the author and shows his curiosity with the subject.

all of the things we've heard bits and pieces of all in one thoroughly enjoyable listen

it is using somewhat outdated references for 2023 and it would be worthwhile updated these (editing an audio book would not entail as much work as reprinting a book)

Delightfully instructive!

Each chapter presents a new experience that demonstrates how we are all essentially irrational. And it's very interesting to realize that. The narration is also great.

Fascinating and Delightful

Excellent book: sharply observed, insightful, inspiring. Fascinatingly well written and delightfully narrated. It doesn't get much better than this.

Great book

Maby too much recurrence of conclusions, but overall, the book is interesting, narrator is great

Very engaging

It is very engaging. The social experiments done are very interesting, especially because they involve our day-to-day activities and behaviour.

GREAT LISTEN

Learnt something! I just wish I had a better idea of how to deal with this irrational part of all of us, more succinctly :(

Fascinating and thoughtful

The book provides several examples of situations we experience in our daily lives, the decisions we make and why we make them. One area is product pricing and comparisons. We don’t have a way to measure in absolute terms so we compare, and we compare with what is easier to compare. This can sway someone’s decision to buy one or another product. Learning about our built-in biases can help us make better decisions.

Dan is an enthusiast on behavioral economics and definitely invites the readers to think and apply the concepts he shares.

A fascinating and exciting read...simplistic

I really loved this book..it offered string insight into clearly understanding how BE can be applied and a guide to helping us deal with our irrationality effectively