This month, I want to recommend Dan Ariely’s excellent book Predictably Irrational [UK version]
The book’s premise is that we often make decisions that – when we look at them rationally – make little real sense. However, the quirks in thinking that cause these strange and common behaviours are highly systematic.
Predictably Irrational is a suprisingly readable little book that reveals some of the hidden forces behind our everyday thinking processes. While this is a ‘popular psychology’ book, it is based on good science (Ariely is a professor at Duke University) and has tremendous relevance for all of us.
Among other things, Ariely explores what causes people to cheat, whether bigger rewards really create better performance, and how important our expectations are.
Watch this video of Ariely (from the TED website) – it’s entertaining and informative and it will give you some added insight into what Predictably Irrational is all about.