The Upside of Irrationality

The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home

By: Dan Ariely

Narrated by: Simon Jones

Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

The provocative follow-up to the New York Times best seller Predictably Irrational

• Why can large bonuses make CEOs less productive?
• How can confusing directions actually help us?
• Why is revenge so important to us?
• Why is there such a big difference between what we think will make us happy and what really makes us happy?

In his groundbreaking book Predictably Irrational, social scientist Dan Ariely revealed the multiple biases that lead us into making 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 habit, how we learn to love the ones we're with, and more.

Drawing on the same experimental methods that made Predictably Irrational one of the most talked-about bestsellers of the past few years, Ariely uses data from his own original and entertaining experiments to draw arresting conclusions about how and why we behave the way we do. From our office attitudes, to our romantic relationships, to our search for purpose in life, Ariely explains how to break through our negative patterns of thought and behavior to make better decisions. 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.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2010 Dan Ariely (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Self-deprecating humor, an enthusiasm for human eccentricities, and an affable and snappy style make this read an enriching and eye-opening pleasure." ( Publishers Weekly)

Lots of Insight

This is a fascinating book that explains why humans don't always act in a "rational" manner from a purely economic perspective. From explaining our love of work (and attachment to things we make ourselves) to our tendency to seek revenge, and many other topics, the book offers many fascinating insights. One warning: The book has repeated and graphic descriptions regarding a tragic accident early in Dan's life. For my particular tastes, this recurring topic could be a little less recurring, and is a bit distracting. At the same time, Dan's personal resilience is quite inspiring.

Fascinating and entertaining, Narrator is great!

This book is more entertaining and simply informative than the more scholarly book Predictably Irrational also written by Ariely. Ariely works clever stories and examples into the book making it a pleasant listen while still being fascinating and informative. The tongue-in-cheek humor in the book matches well the pleasantly aloof style of the narrator Simon Jones, his British voice is a perfect match for this book.

Consistently great author

Dan Ariely is probably the leader in his field. I preferred this book to the first Irrationality book. As an audiobook, sometimes I wish there were a little less setup for each point, so it could be more concise, but overall it was very clear presentation of some counter intuitive but quite well supported ideas. Looking forward to The Honest Truth About Dishonesty and any future works.

Just OK

I might be facing burnout on this type of book but I was not as gripped or stimulated by it as I was Predictably Irrational.

This seemed somewhat like "it worked once, let's put more of the same out there".

I generally like Dan's work but I wouldn't highly recommend this book. Sure, if you can't get enough of this irrational stuff, go for it. I personally think enough has been written on the subject.

Another master piece in human behavior recognition

1) Coming from an academic back ground myself, I extremely enjoy how someone like Dan Ariely looks at even the simplest incidents in real life. Such as "why we can not tickle our right side of the body with right hand and get the sensation" and offer such absolutely profound reasoning based on research and his work... He's one of the noblest people I have ever seen in this field (now I know why I didn't make it to MIT :P ). I have read his other book "predictably irrational" and that one was even more gratifying and as always contained priceless approach to behavioral psychology and information.

2) Simon Jones does an extraordinary job. Let me put it this way: I am an atheist, but if I listened to the Bible read by Simon, %99 I would convert to orthodox Catholic ! His voice is energetic, he makes such vivid narration that rarely have I seen in any other audio book.
Overall, I am ultimately grateful that I won't leave this body without having experienced and learned this work.

Lovely storyteller and fantastic read!

This book is a wonderful reminder of how irrational human behaviors can change decision making. I recommend it to anyone that needs to find ways to influence behaviors of others without demanding and while remaining respectful. A lovely storyteller, Dan has a delightful way of bringing his personal story into his work, which always leaves me inspired and motivated.

Great Title!!!

Who cares what the title of the book is with respect to irrationality. The "Upside" is that you will be smarter for having read this book, even if you have already read "Predictably Irrational". (I have)

The point Ariely is trying to make is that the upside to being predictably irrational is that we can recognize and learn to modify our behaviors (to our benefit) if we can learn to question why we make the decisions, at the moment we have to, that we do. So yes, this book is very similar to his last. However, it illuminates how "knowing" that we are predictably irrational can help us recognize the moments at which these behaviors should be called into question. The result of which could be positively life changing.

My only disappointment is that Dan Ariely is not a cognitive behavioral neuroscientist. His experiments seem only to add evidence to the arguments made by Geoff Colvin (Talent is Overrated), Daniel Coyle (The Talent Code), and Winifred Gallagher (Rapt). Aierly implies that our answers to the questions that arise out of life are a result of learned thought processes (reinforced neural pathways) and not necessarily the process of momentarily perfect rational thought.

Dan seems to experimentally demonstrate that "reasoning" is not necessarily an accurate occupation of the brain, yet a result of the combination of previously hardwired pathways that dictate our individual answers. His point, we must overcome this glitch in order to more accurately asses the "real" in our own reality.

For those who want to learn about human reactions

Why do people act they way they do? Get an idea of what motivates people or creates ambivalence. A good read for managers. Acting irrationally is more common than one thinks. It can help or hurt. Very insightful, with studies to help you understand why people act the way they do.

Classic Ariely

Great book. Humorous, thoughtful...love reading Ariely. He's the perfect balance of intellect and humility. The social experiments are always enlightening...

Fantastic!!

I loved the book, the fantastic narration, the brilliant content and how much it made me laugh! Recommended for all!