Upside of Irrationality

From Publishers Weekly

Ariely (_Predictably Irrational_) expands his research on behavioral economics

to offer a more positive and personal take on human irrationality's

implications for life, business, and public policy. After a youthful accident

left him badly scarred and facing grueling physical therapy, Ariely's

treatment required him to accept temporary pain for long-term benefit—a trade-

off so antithetical to normal human behavior that it sparked the author's

fascination with why we consistently fail to act in our own best interest. The

author, professor of behavioral economics at Duke, leads us through

experiments that reveals such idiosyncrasies as the IKEA effect (if you build

something, pride and sentimental attachment are likely to give you an inflated

sense of its quality) and the Baby Jessica effect (why we respond to one

person's suffering but not to the suffering of many). He concludes with

prescriptions for how to make real personal and societal changes, and what

behavioral patterns we must identify to improve how we love, live, work,

innovate, manage, and govern. Self-deprecating humor, an enthusiasm for human

eccentricities, and an affable and snappy style make this read an enriching

and eye-opening pleasure. (June)

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From

In Predictably Irrational (2008), Ariely explored the reasons why human beings

frequently put aside common sense and why bad things often happen when they

do. Here, in this equally entertaining and clever follow-up, Ariely shows us

the other side of the irrationality coin: the beneficial outcomes and pleasant

surprises that often arise from irrational behavior. Although pleasant should

be taken as a relative term, since the outcomes are not necessarily pleasant

for the person who was behaving irrationally. Take, for example, Thomas

Edison’s obsession with DC current, and his irrational hatred of AC: trying to

prove how dangerous AC was, he inadvertently—with his development of the

electric chair—demonstrated to the world how powerful it could be. Ariely is

an engaging and efficient writer, amusing us with stories about irrational

behavior while staying away from needless technical terminology and bafflegab.

Thought-provoking, entertaining, and smart: a winning combination. --David

Pitt