Predictably Irrational | Dan Ariely – Book Summary

The danger of expecting nothing is that in the end, it might be all we’ll get.

Dan Ariely

Predictably irrational | Dan Ariely

Dan Ariely is a professor of psychology and behavioural economics at Duke university, and the founder for the research institution ‘ The Centre for Advanced Hindsight’. Ariely has a sharp wit and keen sense of humor which makes him a great author and powerful speaker. Ariely was nominated one of the top 50 most influential living psychologists in the world, and his TED talks have had over 15 million views.

Predictably irrational is a New York Times best seller, and explores the hidden drivers behind how humans act and make decisions, which turns out to be far less logical than you might think. Once aware of these behavioural traits, you can begin to master them in order to conquer your finances, business and social interactions to live healthier and happier lives.

Ariely presents several lessons to the reader, including;

1. People are hard wired to compare things, but often become paralysed by choice (analysis paralysis). To succeed, give others easy comparisons to pick you, or choices which benefit you.
   
2. Nothing is really free, but free is a powerful emotional trigger. People are hardwired to try and avoid loss, so we value free items disproportionately highly, often at the detriment of true gain or success.
   
3. People always overvalue what they own

Check it out on Amazon here, listen to it through Audible or buy it from Australia’s local bookstore Booktopia