Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions - Hardcover

"A fascinating romp through the science of decision-making that unmasks the ways that emotions, social norms, expectations, and context lead us astray."--Time magazine

"Freakonomics held that people respond to incentives, perhaps in undesirable ways, but always rationally. Dan Ariely shows you how people are deeply irrational, and predictably so."--Chip Heath, Co-Author, Made to Stick, Professor, Stanford Graduate School of Business

"Predictably Irrational is clever, playful, humorous, hard hitting, insightful, and consistently fun and exciting to read."--Paul Slovic, Founder and President, Decision Research

"In creative ways, author Dan Ariely puts rationality to the test. . . . New experiments and optimistic ideas tumble out of him, like water from a fountain."--Boston Globe

"Inventive. . . . An accessible account. . . . Ariely is a more than capable storyteller . . . If only more researchers could write like this, the world would be a better place."--Financial Times

"Ariely's intelligent, exuberant style and thought-provoking arguments make for a fascinating, eye-opening read."--Publishers Weekly

"PREDICTABLY IRRATIONAL is a charmer-filled with clever experiments, engaging ideas, and delightful anecdotes. Dan Ariely is a wise and amusing guide to the foibles, errors, and bloopers of everyday decision-making."--Daniel Gilbert, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University and author of Stumbling on Happiness

"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

"Dan Ariely is a genius at understanding human behavior: no economist does a better job of uncovering and explaining the hidden reasons for the weird ways we act, in the marketplace and out. PREDICTABLY IRRATIONAL will reshape the way you see the world, and yourself, for good."--James Surowiecki, author of The Wisdom of Crowds

"Dan Ariely's ingenious experiments explore deeply how our economic behavior is influenced by irrational forces and social norms. In a charmingly informal style that makes it accessible to a wide audience, PREDICTABLY IRRATIONAL provides a standing criticism to the explanatory power of rational egotistic choice."--Kenneth Arrow, Nobel Prize in Economics 1972, Professor of Economics Stanford University

Explores the reasons why irrational thought often overcomes level-headed practices, explaining the structural patterns that cause people to make the same mistakes repeatedly, with new insight into the 2008 financial crisis.