Predictably Irrational
by: Dan Ariely
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Shockingly Amazed!
I first viewed his presentation on TED and was intrigued with what he had to say, but found quickly that his full research was groundbreaking in it's own right. Although many aspects of his research are unconsciously a part of our daily lives and sometimes even overlooked due to their mundane functions, the way he ties them together proves, to me at least, to be shockingly revealing of how truly predictable and simple we actually are. The book has strong evidence and interesting arguments, but deserves ... Read More
Rating: - An interesting populist review of rationality that draws overly broad conclusions
I thought the book was engaging and well-presented because each experiment is laid out as an interesting little story. Overall, I think he gives us good and useful information about what to be on the lookout for in our daily lives to recognize the irrationality of our own behavior.
That said, I think that in an attempt to tell a compelling story overall, Ariely over-states the implications of his research as undermining standard economic theory. Over and over again he says that, "standard economic ... Read More
Rating: 
- Interesting, but not useful
This is one of those books I'd call interesting, but not really useful or groundbreaking.There's been a lot of work done over the past few decades about people and in particular investors behaving "irrationally" in other words counter to how you'd rationally plan to act. But his experiments are interesting (though I'd be curious to see some of his data and how he collected it). Still, its a fun airplane ride read.The major takeaway is people act irrationally, and you might too.
Rating: - Valuable and entertaining
All of us believe-- and love to believe-- that we're completely rational, moral beings who base our decisions on our educated backgrounds.At the same time, we realize that most people (though not us, of course...) invest poorly, buy useless stuff, and generally make a mess of their lives by making poor decisions.Why is that?This book answers that question in a thoughtful, readable, and entertaining way.
The author describes a series of experiments he and his academic colleagues have carried ... Read More
Rating: - hidden agendas
A good insight on why people make the decisions they do and how one may present alternatives to get the results he wants.
- Shockingly Amazed!I first viewed his presentation on TED and was intrigued with what he had to say, but found quickly that his full research was groundbreaking in it's own right. Although many aspects of his research are unconsciously a part of our daily lives and sometimes even overlooked due to their mundane functions, the way he ties them together proves, to me at least, to be shockingly revealing of how truly predictable and simple we actually are. The book has strong evidence and interesting arguments, but deserves ... Read More
- An interesting populist review of rationality that draws overly broad conclusionsI thought the book was engaging and well-presented because each experiment is laid out as an interesting little story. Overall, I think he gives us good and useful information about what to be on the lookout for in our daily lives to recognize the irrationality of our own behavior.
That said, I think that in an attempt to tell a compelling story overall, Ariely over-states the implications of his research as undermining standard economic theory. Over and over again he says that, "standard economic ... Read More
- Interesting, but not usefulThis is one of those books I'd call interesting, but not really useful or groundbreaking.There's been a lot of work done over the past few decades about people and in particular investors behaving "irrationally" in other words counter to how you'd rationally plan to act. But his experiments are interesting (though I'd be curious to see some of his data and how he collected it). Still, its a fun airplane ride read.The major takeaway is people act irrationally, and you might too.
- Valuable and entertainingAll of us believe-- and love to believe-- that we're completely rational, moral beings who base our decisions on our educated backgrounds.At the same time, we realize that most people (though not us, of course...) invest poorly, buy useless stuff, and generally make a mess of their lives by making poor decisions.Why is that?This book answers that question in a thoughtful, readable, and entertaining way.
The author describes a series of experiments he and his academic colleagues have carried ... Read More
- hidden agendasA good insight on why people make the decisions they do and how one may present alternatives to get the results he wants.
