Post-Freud and post-Jung, it turns out we’re even less in control than we’d thought. The book found its broad appeal by revealing how and why we repeat behaviors that may or may not be to our personal benefit. So he wrote Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions.Īfter its release in 2008, Ariely quickly became a much-in-demand public speaker. Apparently, he wanted to write a cookbook about ‘eating over the sink’ originally but was told he’d have to author something tied to his personal research first. While on sabbatical from teaching one year, he decided to write a book, as so many academics are want to do. He went on to teach at MIT for some years, before settling into his current posting as a Professor of Economics and Behavioral Psychology at Duke University. Then he did another Ph.D., this time in business, from Duke University. Afterwards, he went stateside to University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill to take an M.A. That piqued his interest in psychology, and upon healing up he went on to complete a degree in the subject at Tel Aviv University. In the process, he became an astute observer of human behavior. While recovering over a period of three years, he found himself a social outsider. When he was 18 years old, he experienced burns over 70% of his body preparing for a traditional Jewish fire inscription ceremony. He grew up on the coast of Israel, not far from Tel Aviv. Seems like a good idea, right? Ariely’s rational path to studying irrationalityĪriely has an origin story befitting of a superhero. He firmly believes that if we’re able to gain awareness of our systematic mistakes, we can learn to avoid repeating them over and over again. Three of his self-help-ish books- Predictably Irrational, The Upside of Irrationality, and The Honest Truth about Dishonesty-have been on the New York Times bestseller list. He’s quite the mensch, with six TED talks having racked up over 10 million views. His research looks at the irrational choices we make every day, over and over, and why.īut don’t worry, he doesn’t just want to criticize.

So you think you’re generally rational-a great weigher of options?īehavioral economist Dan Ariely would beg to differ.Īriely thinks we’re all pliable to suggestion, filled with delusions about our mental autonomy and prone to flimsy self-justification.

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