Predictably Irrational
by Dan Ariely
★ Top 25 book of 2008 · #14 on Best Books of 2008
Behavioral economist Dan Ariely uses clever experiments to show how expectations, emotions and social norms skew our reasoning. This revised edition applies those insights to money decisions and the 2008 financial crisis, arguing our mistakes are systematic and predictable.
Best for: Readers curious why people make irrational money decisions and economic mistakes
Predictably Irrational is #14 on BookWard's Best Books of 2008, out of 46 2008 books that cleared our data bar.
What Predictably Irrational is about
Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist at Duke University, challenges the comfortable idea that we make decisions by thinking rationally. Through a wide range of experiments, findings, and often amusing anecdotes, he shows that expectations, emotions, social norms, and other invisible forces bend our reasoning. His central point is that our mistakes are not random. They are systematic and repeat again and again, and seeing the pattern can help us avoid some of them.
The revised and expanded edition applies this thinking to the 2008 financial meltdown, asking why bankers lost sight of the economy and why individuals took on mortgages they could not afford. Ariely also warns that basing policy on standard economic theory may be dangerous. Witty and accessible, the book will suit anyone curious about why they and the people around them behave as they do, from shoppers and managers to anyone who has wondered about a bad decision.
Predictably Irrational on the Best Books of 2008
Predictably Irrational came out in 2008. Of the 46 books first published in 2008 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #14 on our Best Books of 2008 list.
Why it made the list: 300 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (13 ratings); 20 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 2008 list
- What Every BODY Is Saying Joe Navarro, #12
- In Defense of Food Michael Pollan, #13
- The Knife of Never Letting Go Patrick Ness, #15
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard J. K. Rowling, #16
See all Best Books of 2008 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2007 Best Books of 2009.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 247 want to read it, 20 are reading it now and 33 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4.2 out of 5 from 13 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 61 | 55% |
| Reader love | 50 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 74 | 20% |
Questions about Predictably Irrational
When was Predictably Irrational published?
Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely was first published in 2008.
Was Predictably Irrational one of the best books of 2008?
Predictably Irrational is #14 on BookWard's Best Books of 2008, out of 46 2008 books that cleared our data bar. 300 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (13 ratings); 20 are reading it right now.
Why is Predictably Irrational on the Best Books of 2008 list?
300 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (13 ratings); 20 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 2008
- The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins, #1
- End of Days Sylvia Browne, #2
- The Last Straw Jeff Kinney, #3
- Amulet Kazu Kibuishi, #4
- Outliers Malcolm Gladwell, #5
- Michelle Obama in Her Own Words Michelle Obama, #6
See the full Best Books of 2008, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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