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| Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions | 
 enlarge | Author: Dan Ariely
Publisher: HarperCollins
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $15.69
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (156 reviews)
Sales Rank: 179
Format: Roughcut
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.5 x 1.2
ISBN: 006135323X
Dewey Decimal Number: 153.83
EAN: 9780061353239
ASIN: 006135323X
Publication Date: February 19, 2008
Release Date: February 19, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Unpredictably Bad September 11, 2008
4 out of 8 found this review helpful
Disappointing in a big way. Very shallow. I am also disappointed in myself: though the hype train rolled for only a short time, I leapt on it. Shame on you NPR for implying there was heft to this trite brochure fluffed out into a book.
 You'll laugh, you'll think, you'll be entertained September 11, 2008
This was a terrific book but far from perfect. Ariely describes numerous studies. Readers will object to methodologies used and many of the author's conclusions and thoughts. But we have to keep in mind that the topic of the book is behavioral economics which makes disagreement and lack of perfect studies okay. Behavioral economics is not a hard science like physics or chemistry. Studies in hard sciences need to be reproducible to a greater degree than in behavioral economics. People who object that economics is not a science are correct in some sense but also many also do not appreciate that despite it not being a hard science it is still a very important discipline. The studies mentioned in this book are different than studies in hard sciences, where you can predict to a great degree of accuracy what will happen if you repeated the study, but we still should not discount the importance of these studies.
Ariely is entertaining and his enthusiasm is contagious. Whether you agree or disagree with his conclusions, he gives you lots to think about. As a bonus, there are real life applications to his studies that readers can immediately implement in their own lives.
Dozens of studies are mentioned in this entertaining book. Thoughtful readers may object to methodologies and the author's conclusions. For example, in one study demonstrating how free items are valued irrationally highly the author mentions that (actual numbers may not be accurate here, but you'll get the idea) 73% of participants chose to buy a 15 cent Lindt chocolate over a 1 cent Hershey's Kiss. When the price of Lindt was dropped to 14 cent and the Hershey's Kiss was free then 65% chose the Kiss over the Lindt. Isn't that irrational? Maybe but maybe not. Did a lot of people in the first scenario walk away without buying either and in the second scenario there was absolutely no draw back to selecting the free Kiss so they chose that over the Lindt. Perhaps if I were to look at the original study (which I didn't but there are references which the curious reader could pursue) I would find that this point was addressed. Ariely, himself, even discusses some points which would lead us to conclude that participants were indeed rational.
The author makes policy implications and makes the point that due to human irrationality traditional economics may not depict the real world as much as it could. This is a very valid point. For example, many Business School professors have been preaching the efficient market theory, which many others including the world's greatest investor, Warren Buffett, would not agree with. Ariely challenges the assumptions of traditional economics which ultimately will improve the discipline much like how Einstein improved physics when he challenged some of its assumptions.
This is an outstanding book and Ariely has done a great service by making these concepts readable for people not just in academics. I highly recommend this book and if you enjoyed this one then don't miss "Influence" by Robert Cialdini.
a chance to understand hidden dynamics September 7, 2008
You never really know what's going on! Therefore, thanks to Dan for this book to help us uncover at least some of it. As I attempt in my own book, "The Expert's Edge," he offers us all a chance to understand hidden dynamics that, once we are aware of them, can drive us to success... and life satisfaction!
Great Behavioral Econ Book September 2, 2008
Excellent use of science and economics to explain some of the irrational decisions we make every day. Other reviews have captured the good parts adequately.
I agree with the review below me. His science is seemingly unassailable, but many of his "solutions" to problems seem to come from a left perspective. However, this was rare and the book generally refrains from normative analysis.
Overall excellent read, but not as captivating as Freakonomics was when it first came out.
Love The Studies so-so on the Social Commentary September 1, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The behavioral economics and studies behind this book are genuinely fascinating. It will challenge the way that you make decisions and reveal irrationality behind your most recent purchases. I had a great time reading it but I did move past some of the social recommendations that he makes in the book.
It's not that I think they are not good ideas, its just that I see them as irrelevant to the overall theme of the book. That is just the way that I read the book, but if you are interested in social commentary and possible solutions to irrationality in society, it can give you some interesting topics to think about.
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