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| Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions | 
 enlarge | Author: Dan Ariely
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Category: Book
List Price: £16.99
Buy New: £8.49
You Save: £8.50 (50%)
New (30) from £8.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  55 reviews
Sales Rank: 1072
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6 x 1.1
ISBN: 0007256523
EAN: 9780007256525
ASIN: 0007256523
Publication Date: March 3, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 Competent but doesn't stand out June 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Since the success of Freakonomics almost every living economist must have been pressed into service to write a popular science book. The main problem this book has is that there is a whole category of 'things you didn't know about economics' books now.
The book is in easily digestible chapters, reads easily and is pretty hard to argue with, the author appears to put together experiments to determine what makes us act irrationally (or unlike classical economists' models).
In short sexual arousal, free stuff and an inability to judge free from the local environment. I doubt many people will be surprised by much in this book, as the classical rational being is a bit of a straw man these days.
The author doesn't write as well as Tim Harford, and the book doesn't shock as much as Freakonomics, in marketing terms it lacks a unique selling point. Worth it if you're a fan of these kinds of book.
One for those in the credit crunch! June 18, 2008
Dan Ariely's book should be, by the standards set in other economic literature, a complex academic read that would only appeal to students of the subject. His skill here is to turn what could be a very boring subject into one that any layman will be fascinated by and even shocked by its revelations.
Airely suggests we make bad decisions that hurt us in the long run because we have various internal psychological factors that force our hands, so to speak. Take for example his idea that seeing the word 'Free' when taggged with a product makes us feel we are getting good value when in fact it doesn't in the end. Through various experiments with his students and others he outlines how these factors play in our purchasing decisions again and again. All this is done with a deft, simple (and at times, amusing) use of language that anyone can understand. In this time of the 'credit crunch', perhaps that might not be a bad thing.
Aside from some of the political grandstanding in places (when he talks of government intervention in places), I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It did make me think about how I approach spending in my everyday life and how my decision making process is often affected by my own views on certain things. If a book like this which I wouldn't normally look at has made me do this, then it must be good. Highly recommended!
 Good fun, whilst still informative. May 22, 2008
The title I have given this review pretty much sums up this book by Dan Ariely. The content of this book on behavioural economics is brilliantly detailed. Diagrams illustrate the points laid out in the text and it includes a good list of studies that would be useful for students of psychology or economics alike. The topics covered are very extensive, though maybe some of the titles for chapters do not entirely accurately represent the content within them (Fallacy of supply and demand touches heavily upon various topics, but maybe too little on actual supply and demand).
Whilst being educational and informative, Dan Ariely never fails to add sparks of humour to make his book all the more enjoyable. As an author he is not afraid to make critical comments and judgements based upon (and often totally predjudging) the studies that he undertakes yet these do not get mixed up in the results. If his witty comments get proved totally out of place, he will make further witty comments to counterbalance his argument. It is never a dull read, with some almost laugh out loud, obviously intentional irony that carries this otherwise tedious subject into a much more mainstream audience.
Have you ever wondered . . . . ? May 11, 2008
Have you gone to the shops for something and come away with something completely different? Do you make decisions that you sit back later and wonder what on earth led you to make them? Dan Ariely is a researcher at MIT who has looked at our decisions in the world, why we make them and also what use is made of the decisions in the marketplace. Reading this has given me a depper understanding of some of the Psychology behind marketing and I think I have actually changed my approach when out shopping. What does the second item cost when you "buy one get one free"?
And you thought you could not be manipulated!! April 24, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is one of a very small group of books where I can say they really changed my views. I fell into every trap - of course I knew how I made decisions, and I was far too sensible to be manipulated by others - wrong!! This is a fascinating books which describes clearly, simply and credibly how (amongst other things) our purchasing decisions are not based on real value but on perceived values, and how those perceived values can be imprinted by otherswithout our realising. This book should be mandatory reading for all, in order to give us a fair chance against the clever people whose sole aim is to control our actions for their own benefit. PLEASE READ THIS!!
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