The+Upside+of+Irrationality+-+Dan+Ariely

From Publisher's 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) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Follow this link for more reviews on Amazon. NPR hosted Dan for an interview here. You can listen to the audio or read the transcript.

This group the focus will be about you and motivation. Ariely's second book is said to carry stories of a more personal nature, but the experiments are still there. The book will impact the way you look at your material possessions and how you are driven by money. The LEGO experiment might even get you to think about how we teach subjects which require instant feedback. Below are more tidbits about Ariely and his work. This group will be more personal and unique. Each month you will share stories connecting your life to the book. The discussions will revolve around the stories group members share. media type="googlespreadsheet" key="0Ase0ppJg-OVXdF9JN2o4V0dLNEd4ZlliQ2llYnhYS3c" width="821" height="222" align="center"


 * Who** wouldn't want Dan Ariely's job? He's a neuro-whistleblower. He gets to sit around all day and conjure up cool experiments that reveal the evil tricks that our minds play on us. His clever tests measure how much we'll screw ourselves to exact revenge, how we over-value our own creations, how we completely misjudge what will bring us happiness. At school or at home....do you know why you do what you do?

Stay current with what Dan is doing by reading his blog or click on his biography page to learn about his background. rss url="http://danariely.com/feed/" link="true" description="true" number="4"