Sunday, September 26, 2010

The Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely

In his earlier book, Predictably Irrational, Dan Ariely looked at biases that lead consumers into making unwise decisions. His new book's subtitle - The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home - explains the shifted focus in The Upside of Irrationality.

"Some of the ways in which we are irrational are also what makes us wonderfully human (our ability to find meaning in work, our ability to fall in love with our creations and ideas, our willingness to trust others, our ability to adapt to new circumstances, our ability to care about others and so on)." Understanding the forces that drive our actions can help us to make better decisions in our lives. Ariely's advice is to "Ask questions. Explore. Turn over rocks. Question your behaviour, that of your company, employees, and other businesses, and that of agencies, politicians and governments." Enquiring minds unite!

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