Canadian Capitalist Logo Dark
No Result
View All Result
Tuesday, November 21, 2023
  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Investing
  • Markets
  • Real Estate
  • Retirement
  • Tax Savings
  • Trivia
  • Resources
Subscribe
Canadian Capitalist Logo Light
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Investing
  • Markets
  • Real Estate
  • Retirement
  • Tax Savings
  • Trivia
  • Resources
No Result
View All Result
Canadian Capitalist Logo Mobile
No Result
View All Result
Home Uncategorised

Book Review: Predictably Irrational

by Ram Balakrishnan
April 23, 2008
Reading Time: 2 mins read
128 5
0
152
SHARES
1.9k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin
[Front Cover of Predictably Irrational Book]

The Romans said nosce te ipsum – “know thyself” and in this excellent new book, Dan Ariely, describes experiments that illuminate aspects of human behaviour that are, in turns, surprising, delightful, amusing and yes, even disturbing. Subtitled “The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions”, the author who is a professor at MIT says that we are not only irrational, but predictably so.

The book seeks to answer questions such as why we overpay for a fancy cup of coffee, why CEO compensation has skyrocketed, how choices distract us from our goals, why we fail to save, why we should beware of “trial offers”, why a little cheating is so common etc. Prof. Ariely encourages readers to “pause at the end of each chapter, spend some time thinking about how the principles of human behavior identified in the experiments apply to your life”. For instance, take the TD Bank iPod offer I blogged about rather excitedly last year. When I really stop and think about it, I rarely listen to music on a portable player. In the basement somewhere we have a Walkman, a Discman and a tiny SanDisk MP3 player that were used a couple of times and now gather dust. So, it’s a good bet that the iPod would have met the same fate and it’s irrational that I would be ready to jump through hoops to get one. But, hey, when something is FREE!, we simply go nuts over it.

Prof. Ariely is an excellent story teller and his writing is charming, witty and funny. He is also a very clever guy with a mischievous streak and his experiments (and that of his colleagues) in the book are very ingenious. If this book is available at your local library, try and get it. If you liked Freakonomics, you’ll like this book as well. You may also want to check out Prof. Ariely’s Predictably Irrational website, featuring a blog, YouTube videos and links to his research websites.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Related posts:

  1. Finding a Financial Advisor, Part 1
  2. Carnival of Debt Reduction # 19
  3. Q&A with Vanguard Canada
  4. Reader Question on Bond Allocation
Share61Tweet38Share11

Get real time update about this post categories directly on your device, subscribe now.

Unsubscribe
Previous Post

The Dogs (of the Dow) Don’t Bark

Next Post

This and That

Ram Balakrishnan

Ram Balakrishnan

Related Posts

Why you cant afford a house in Canada

Why You Can’t Afford A Home In Canada?

January 24, 2022
504
investing benefits
Investing

Finding a Financial Advisor, Part 1

June 19, 2021
2.2k
investing in bitcoin

Is it time to invest in Bitcoins again?

May 13, 2019
2k
when do reits liquidate
Uncategorised

Performance of Currency-Neutral S&P 500 Index Funds

January 19, 2014
2k
is mortgage interest tax deductible
Uncategorised

The 2013 Sleepy Portfolio Report Card

January 12, 2014
2k
how to buy individual stocks in canada
Uncategorised

Asset Class Returns for 2013

January 5, 2014
1.9k
Next Post
reit dividends

This and That

Please login to join discussion
Canadian Capitalist

© 2022 Canadian Capitalist

Navigate Site

  • Home
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertisement
  • Contact Us

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Investing
  • Markets
  • Real Estate
  • Retirement
  • Tax Savings
  • Trivia
  • Resources

© 2022 Canadian Capitalist

Welcome Back!

Sign In with Facebook
Sign In with Google
Sign In with Linked In
OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Sign Up with Facebook
Sign Up with Google
Sign Up with Linked In
OR

Fill the forms below to register

*By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
two man and woman standing on doorway
The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read - Mark Twain