Reviews

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely

sampleofsteve's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Dan Ariely is certainly brilliant, and this a great primer to "behavioral economics," or the research of judgement and decision making. I enthusiastically recommend this book to friends who are interested in the topic but know little about it; I do not recommend anyone familiar with BE/JDM to bother reading this book as they will encounter nothing new but a few well written anecdotes about Ariely's life.

rachelwig48's review

Go to review page

4.0

Some of the research seems a little staged based on how it is described and how it was executed, like the researcher wanted a particular outcome and made sure that the results matched the hypothesis or went against the hypothesis to support "predictable irrationality". However, some of the research and the results of that research matched what I have seen in retail regarding pricing and thresholds for value. It was interesting to see something that looked into the behavior of these actions.

numshah's review

Go to review page

4.0

This book details how irrationally humans behave, and makes the point that oftentimes real life deviates from the predictions of standard economics precisely because it assumes people are rational beings. The book is clear, but a trifle unconcise. Still it is a solid read if you have the energy to concentrate on it.

chelsm123's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

The chapter on arousal I found very interesting and alarming. 

daianapartiu's review

Go to review page

5.0

One of my favorite books of all time. So many stories and experiments to show us how different we act to how economics say we do. Each chapter provides a different life lesson and something for you to be conscientious of. I finished the last page but certainly not the last time I will be reading this book.

ryanloris's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative medium-paced

3.25

seafamboonie's review

Go to review page

4.0

FUN! I like reading about experiments, and this was a bunch of them. This contains chapters with narratives on various experiments that Dan Ariely did, and his various interpretations about what they mean. Some of the stories I could directly relate to, and I related some of these to real world examples. Puts a perspective on a few things.

If you like reading about experiments or a high level overview of studies and their results, this is a good one to read.

bubblegumfactory's review

Go to review page

4.0

** Dan Ariely, I'm in love with you, okay?**

another sexy sexy book by Prof. Ariely.
The hypothesis is intriguing, the intuition is on point, the methods are bulletproof, the studies are fun, conclusions are insightful and his humour is just a giant cheery on top of this big fat juicy cake. if you're going to write book on research and new up and coming ideas, use this as a model, please. not only does he get you involved in this field of Behavioural Economics, he makes you feel the excitement that he carries for the science and joy of research. lucky people who have him as his prof :')
also, absolutely love the fact that he concludes the book with a short biography of all the collaborators of his study. in the cut throat world of academia, this respect for fellow students and colleagues was just so nice :)
my only complaint (I'm nitpicking here) is that I felt two chapters repetitive from his other books but that's prolly because I read the second book before this.
GO READ THIS! relevant for everyone, no matter what field you're in.

norahbringer's review

Go to review page

5.0

Totally, totally awesome collection of psych studies on human behavior. It's also quite readable and not too nerdy. I highly recommend it. The chapter that lays bare our pathological desire to keep doors open--even when we *know* that there's no benefit in doing so--was particularly enlightening for me, as Dave and I continue to make decisions about what we're doing next.

_ophidia_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

informative medium-paced

4.5