Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

Cover......Page 1
Title page......Page 7
Copyright page......Page 8
Contents......Page 11
Introduction: How an Injury Led Me to Irrationality and to the Research Described Here......Page 15
1  The Truth about Relativity: Why Everything Is Relative—Even When It Shouldn\'t Be   [1]......Page 29
2  The Fallacy of Supply and Demand: Why the Price of Pearls—and Everything Else—Is Up in the Air   [23]......Page 51
3  The Cost of Zero Cost: Why We Often Pay Too Much When We Pay Nothing   [49]......Page 77
Appendix: Chapter 3......Page 92
4  The Cost of Social Norms: Why We Are Happy to Do Things, but Not When We Are Paid to Do Them   [67]......Page 95
5  The Influence of Arousal: Why Hot Is Much Hotter Than We Realize   [89]......Page 117
Safe Sex......Page 128
Safe Driving......Page 130
Better Life Decisions......Page 131
Table 1 – Rate the Attractiveness of Different Activities......Page 134
Table 2 – Rate the Likelihood of Engaging in immoral Behaviors Like Date Rape (A Strict Order of Severity Is Not Implied)......Page 135
Table 3 – Rate Your Tendency to Use, and Outcomes of Not Using Birth Control......Page 136
6  The Problem of Procrastination and Self-Control: Why We Can\'t Make Ourselves Do What We Want to Do   [109]......Page 137
Health Care......Page 145
Savings......Page 150
7  The High Price of Ownership: Why We Overvalue What We Have   [127]......Page 155
8  Keeping Doors Open: Why Options Distract Us from Our Main Objective   [139]......Page 167
9  The Effect of Expectations: Why the Mind Gets What It Expects   [155]......Page 183
10  The Power of Price: Why a 50-Cent Aspirin Can Do What a Penny Aspirin Can\'t   [173]......Page 201
11  The Context of Our Character, Part I: Why We Are Dishonest, and What We Can Do about It   [195]......Page 223
Appendix: Chapter 11 – The Ten Commandments......Page 244
12  The Context of Our Character, Part II: Why Dealing with Cash Makes Us More Honest   [217]......Page 245
13  Beer and Free Lunches: What Is Behavioral Economics, and Where Are the Free Lunches?   [231]......Page 259
Thanks   [245]......Page 273
Marco Bertini......Page 277
James Heyman......Page 278
George Loewenstein......Page 279
Yesim Orhun......Page 280
Jiwoong Shin......Page 281
Klaus Wertenbroch......Page 282
Notes   [255]......Page 283
Introduction: How an Injury Led Me to Irrationality and to the Research Described Here......Page 287
2  The Fallacy of Supply and Demand: Why the Price of Pearls—and Everything Else—Is Up in the Air......Page 288
3  The Cost of Zero Cost: Why We Often Pay Too Much When We Pay Nothing......Page 289
5  The Influence of Arousal: Why Hot Is Much Hotter Than We Realize......Page 290
7  The High Price of Ownership: Why We Overvalue What We Have......Page 291
9  The Effect of Expectations: Why the Mind Gets What It Expects......Page 292
10  The Power of Price: Why a 50-Cent Aspirin Can Do What a Penny Aspirin Can\'t......Page 293
12  The Context of Our Character, Part II: Why Dealing with Cash Makes Us More Honest......Page 294
13  Beer and Free Lunches: What Is Behavioral Economics, and Where Are the Free Lunches?......Page 295
A......Page 297
C......Page 298
D......Page 299
E......Page 300
G......Page 301
I......Page 302
M......Page 303
P......Page 304
R......Page 305
S......Page 306
T......Page 307
Z......Page 308