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The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic

by Dan Ariely

A behavioral-economics look at the useful and costly sides of illogical choices

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A behavioral-economics look at the useful and costly sides of illogical choices

Dan Ariely examines irrational behavior in two everyday arenas: work and relationships. Drawing on questions about incentives, revenge, cheating, habits, attraction, and happiness, the book considers why choices that seem illogical can produce both harmful consequences and unexpected benefits. Its organizing idea is not that people simply fail to be rational, but that recurring biases and impulses help shape motivation, workplace behavior, and personal attachments. The discussion connects individual decisions to broader patterns, including the gap between anticipated happiness and lived experience and the ways a single poor decision can become an entrenched habit.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in behavioral economics and decision-making
  • People curious about motivation, incentives, and workplace behavior
  • Readers exploring the psychology of relationships, habits, and happiness

Themes

Irrational decision-makingWorkplace motivationRelationships and attractionCheating and habitsHappiness and expectations

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

New York Times Bestseller

"Dan Ariely is a genius at understanding human behavior: no economist does a better job of uncovering and explaining the hidden reasons for the weird ways we act." -- James Surowiecki, author of The Wisdom of Crowds

Behavioral economist and New York Times bestselling author of Predictably Irrational Dan Ariely offers a much-needed take on the irrational decisions that influence our dating lives, our workplace experiences, and our temptation to cheat in any and all areas. Fans of Freakonomics, Survival of the Sickest, and Malcolm Gladwell's Blink and The Tipping Point will find many thought-provoking insights in The Upside of Irrationality.

How can large bonuses sometimes make CEOs less productive?

Why is revenge so important to us?

How can confusing directions actually help us?

Why is there a difference between what we think will make us happy and what really makes us happy?

In his groundbreaking book, Predictably Irrational, Ariely revealed the multiple biases that lead us to make unwise decisions. Now, in The Upside of Irrationality, he exposes the surprising negative and positive effects irrationality can have on our lives. Focusing on our behaviors at work and in relationships, he offers new insights and eye-opening truths about what really motivates us on the job, how one unwise action can become a long-term bad habit, how we learn to love the ones we're with, and more. The Upside of Irrationality will change the way we see ourselves at work and at home--and cast our irrational behaviors in a more nuanced light.

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