Dan Ariely Books
Dan Ariely is a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University. He is known for his research on irrational behavior and decision-making, and is the author of several bestselling books including 'Predictably Irrational' and 'The Upside of Irrationality'.
Known for: Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations, Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone—Especially Ourselves, The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home
Books by Dan Ariely
Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations
In this concise exploration of human motivation, behavioral economist Dan Ariely examines what truly drives people to work, create, and care. Drawing on experiments and real-world examples, Ariely rev...
Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
In this groundbreaking work, behavioral economist Dan Ariely explores the hidden psychological forces that shape our decisions. Through a series of clever experiments and engaging anecdotes, Ariely re...
The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone—Especially Ourselves
In this book, behavioral economist Dan Ariely explores the psychology of dishonesty, revealing how and why people lie to themselves and others. Drawing on experiments and real-world examples, Ariely d...
The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home
In this book, behavioral economist Dan Ariely explores how irrational behaviors influence our decisions in both professional and personal contexts. Through engaging experiments and real-world examples...
Key Insights from Dan Ariely
The IKEA Effect
It started, quite literally, with IKEA furniture. You know those maddeningly complex flat packs with instructions that seem written in ancient hieroglyphs? We grumble, we sweat, and yet once the table stands upright—even a bit wobbly—we feel an unexpected sense of pride. This phenomenon, which my co...
From Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations
The Role of Acknowledgment
Imagine doing a puzzle for hours, focusing, thinking, clicking pieces together until the image finally emerges—then someone walks by, glances at your effort, and sweeps it all into a box without a word. That experience stays with us far longer than we might expect, and it captures the essence of wha...
From Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations
The Principle of Relativity: We Never Think in Isolation
If you’ve ever stood before a shelf debating which pen, phone plan, or coffee machine to buy, you’ve already fallen into the trap of relativity. Humans rarely judge things by absolute value; instead, we rely on comparisons. In one experiment, when people were given three subscription options—a web-o...
From Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
The Power of Free: The Allure of Zero Price
In one well-known experiment, I offered students a choice between a high-quality dark chocolate for fifteen cents and a milk chocolate for a penny. Most chose the dark chocolate. But when the milk chocolate became free and the dark one dropped to fourteen cents—an identical price difference—nearly e...
From Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
The Simple Model of Rational Crime
Economists have long relied on the 'Simple Model of Rational Crime' to explain why people cheat. According to this model, every dishonest act is the result of a cost-benefit analysis: we weigh the potential gain against the likelihood and severity of punishment. Under that logic, honesty is merely a...
From The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone—Especially Ourselves
The Fudge Factor Theory
To explain why we cheat only a little, I developed what I call the 'fudge factor theory.' Each of us has a personal window—a psychological boundary—that allows us to be slightly dishonest while still maintaining a positive self-image. This window helps us rationalize our misdeeds, telling ourselves ...
From The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone—Especially Ourselves
About Dan Ariely
Dan Ariely is a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University. He is known for his research on irrational behavior and decision-making, and is the author of several bestselling books including 'Predictably Irrational' and 'The Upside of Irrationality'.
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Dan Ariely is a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University. He is known for his research on irrational behavior and decision-making, and is the author of several bestselling books including 'Predictably Irrational' and 'The Upside of Irrationality'.
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