About this title: In the tradition of "Freakonomics" and "Blink," a behavioral economist argues that human behavior is often anything but rational--that thoughts are not random, but instead are systematic and predictable.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780061353239ISBN:006135323X
Description: A wonderful copy with some minor edgewear to the cover. Dust Jacket has some edgewear present. -, Hard Cover, Very Good / Very Good. read more
Edition: Unabridged
Binding: Audiobook CD
Publisher: HarperAudio
Date Published: 2/19/2008
ISBN-13:9780061457852ISBN:006145785X
Description: New. 006145785X Brand New Book With Remainder Mark. May Have Slight Shelf Wear. In-Stock Now For Immediate Secure Packaging & Delivery. read more
Binding: hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780061353239ISBN:006135323X
Description: Good in good dust jacket. 280 pages. Former public library copy with library stamps/stickers. Tight binding. Clear protective sleeve over dustjacket. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS Country = UNITED KINGDOM
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780007256532ISBN:0007256531
Description: BRAND NEW PAPERBACK. 304 pages. Why do smart people make irrational decisions every day? the answers will surprise you. predictably irrational is an intriguing, witty and utterly original look at why we all make illogical decisions. illustrations (Paperback) read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date Published: 2008-02-19
ISBN-13:9780061353239ISBN:006135323X
Description: Very Good. 24hr ship! SIGNED and inscribed by author. Very nice condition, read once book with some edge wear and corner rubbing to DJ. Pages clean with no markings. Corner clipped top page 1. Always courteous and honest service! read more
Description: New. 006135323X Signed by Author. Dust Jacket has very little shelf wear. No remainder mark. Pages are clean with no markings, no creases and no dog-ears. Hardcover. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harpercollins
Date Published: 2009-06-01
ISBN-13:9780061854545ISBN:0061854549
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780061854545. read more
Binding: Spoken Word Compact Disc
Publisher: Harperaudio
Date Published: 2008-02-01
ISBN-13:9780061457852ISBN:006145785X
Description: NEW. Spoken Word Compact Disc. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780061457852. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harpercollins Publishers
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780007256532ISBN:0007256531
Description: New. Why do smart people make irrational decisions every day? The answers will surprise you. Predictably Irrational is an intriguing, witty and utterly original look at why we all make illogical decisions. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harper
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780061854545ISBN:0061854549
Description: New, Publisher overstock, may have small remainder mark. Excellent condition, never read, purchased from publisher as excess inventory. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harper
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780061854545ISBN:0061854549
Description: New, Publisher overstock, may have small remainder mark. Excellent condition, never read, purchased from publisher as excess inventory. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harpercollins
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780061854545ISBN:0061854549
Description: Hardcover. Almost new condition. Almost new condition. SKU: 24323358 All orders shipped within 1 business day. 14 day money back guarantee ISBN: 9780061854545 Almost new condition. Almost new condition. SKU: 24323358 All orders shipped within 1 business day. 14 day money back guarantee. read more
"It's hard for me to review this book without comparing it to a similar, though uglier, example of socially applied economics: Freakonomics. In many ways, this is what Freakonomics would have been if it had not tried so hard to, like, totally blow your mind. Ariely doesn't make huge, sweeping assumptions/accusations. Instead he takes small, practical questions, builds experiments with limited variables, and sees how people operate on a very small scale. From these experiments, he sometimes makes hypotheses as to how they can apply to the real-world, but he never overreaches.
This is not to say that Ariely will not blow your mind. He will, but in more practical ways. He makes you think back to that extra box of oatmeal you bought because you got a third box free, or that time you stole a pencil from work after diligently counting to make sure the penny tray was accurate. He makes you think about why you order the food you do when you go to a restaurant, or why you might buy a product you wouldn't otherwise buy, because it's next to a similar product that's a worse deal. By the time you are done with this book, you will be convinced that you are irrational and that everyone else around you is irrational in almost exactly the same way. You may never trust your own judgement fully again.
But, over all, it's alright. Because Ariely, who makes a living doubting himself and others, is there to remind you that he still gets suckered into buying the sports car over the mini-van. He is playful, self-deprecating, and casual in his writing style. He seems more a clever trickster scientist than some omnipotent super-brain. What's really pretty wonderful about this book is the fact that you want to believe Ariely, even more than you want to justify your own irrational behavior.
This is a good read, certainly. A better read than Freakonomics, most definitely. But even so, if they're placed together on the same shelf, and they're the same price, does that mean you should buy this one? *shrugs* I don't even know any more."
"This is an interesting look at how an individual's decision-making process is often at odds with what is objectively beneficial for him or her. Seems a tad repetitive at times, but the examples and studies outlined are undeniably fascinating and help illuminate factors that producers and marketers need to take into account in approaching a potential audience. This would be a great tandem read with Martin Lindstrom's Buyology, which looks at the brain science underlying human desires and wants."
"Excellent book by an MIT professor describing various experiments in the field of behavioral economics. This field attempts to give some practical insights into why classical economics fails to reliably predict marketplace behavior; further, he argues that these irrational tendencies are predictable and measurable parts of human nature with far reaching consequences for interpersonal relations, commercial choices and public policy. Written in a very accessible style which allows the reader to get a good appreciation of the power of empiricism, the difficulties of experimental design and the need to question one's assumptions about how people make decisions. I would think of this book as a slightly less commercial (though a little less fun) version of Freakonomics. While Freakonomics (I think) focuses more on the method in which you generate experiments to give insight into hard questions, this focuses more on the revelations of the experiments themselves. A must read for managers, physicians, lawyers and parents. Hell, anyone interested in making better sense of the patterns of behavior in the world."
"This is a really interesting and accessible read about behavioral economics. Ariely pokes holes in the economic supposition that all people act in their rational best interest by showing ways in which people consistently make irrational decisions. The book is set up in an easy to understand manner; each chapter poses a simple question about human decision-making, demonstrates that most or all people are irrational in this type of decision with an experiment or two, and then muses about implications for public policy or how we might personally avoid this sort of irrational decision. The book is quick, enjoyable, and easy to read for the layperson, and provides tons of food for thought."
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