AUTHOR:
Dan Ariely (Harper Perennial, 2011)
REVIEWER:
Danielle Oristian York, Managing Director, 21/64
BOOK LINK:
REVIEW:
Before podcasts were cool, I became a fan of Dan Ariely by listening to him on his podcast Arming the Donkeys. The bio from his site indicates his style, intelligence and humor: I do research in behavioral economics and try to describe it in plain language. These findings have enriched my life, and my hope is that they will do the same for you.
I could not agree more and so wanted to share a review of one my favorite books: The Upside of Irrationality, where he explores the ways and reasons why humans act despite reason and helps us understand why certain decisions, though irrational, are often more likely than those that are logical. Through great story telling, humor and humility, Ariely helps us embrace the irrational side of ourselves that is natural in an effort to help us “figure out how we can get the most good and least bad out of ourselves” when making choices about our money, our relationships and our happiness.
I am enamored with the idea of this notion of getting “the most good and least bad” in my decision making with some experimenting, given my expanded understanding of human nature and my brain.