Predictably Irrational is an audiobook by Dan Ariely, narrated by Simon Jones. The unabridged Audible edition runs 7 hrs 22 mins.
Publisher’s Summary
The groundbreaking bestseller from iconic behavioral psychologist Dan Ariely, now the inspiration for the Fall 2023 NBC show The Irrational
“A marvelous book that is both thought provoking and highly entertaining, ranging from the power of placebos to the pleasures of Pepsi. Ariely unmasks the subtle but powerful tricks that our minds play on us, and shows us how we can prevent being fooled.” — Jerome Groopman, New York Times bestselling author of How Doctors Think
“Ariely is a genius at understanding human behavior: no economist does a better job of uncovering and explaining the hidden reasons for the weird ways we act, in the marketplace and out. Predictably Irrational will reshape the way you see the world, and yourself, for good.” — James Surowiecki, author of The Wisdom of Crowds
Why do our headaches persist after we take a one-cent aspirin but disappear when we take a fifty-cent aspirin? Why do we splurge on a lavish meal but cut coupons to save twenty-five cents on a can of soup?
When it comes to making decisions in our lives, we think we’re making smart, rational choices. But are we? In this revised and expanded edition of the groundbreaking New York Times bestseller, Dan Ariely refutes the common assumption that we behave in fundamentally rational ways. From drinking coffee to losing weight, from buying a car to choosing a romantic partner, we consistently overpay, underestimate, and procrastinate. Yet these misguided behaviors are neither random nor senseless. They’re systematic and predictable—making us predictably irrational.
Audiobook Details
- Narrated by: Simon Jones
- Length: 7 hrs 22 mins
- Publisher: Harper
- Release year: 2008
- Audible category: Business & Careers / Marketing & Sales / Consumer Behavior & Market Research
Listener Ratings
Predictably Irrational holds an average listener rating of 4.5/5 from 12691 Audible ratings.
On Audible, ratings for this title break down into narration performance and story separately:
- Performance (narration): 4.6/5
- Story: 4.5/5
- 5-star ratings: 61% of all ratings
What Audible Listeners Are Saying
4/5 stars — “An Examination of Our Irrational Decisions”
What a fascinating book about our choices and the reasons we make the decisions we do. If you have ever wondered why you buy things you hadn’t intended on– this is a book for you. I am hoping that just being aware of the things I do that I can see are irrational will stop because I now have more insight. We will see.An interesting and entertaining listen.
— Sara, Audible listener
5/5 stars — “look at the rating statistics for this book”
This book has maintained a high 4.25 rating with over a thousand ratings given to it thus far, so it is clearly the creme of the crop for this phsycho-economic genre. Audible ratings are hard to maintain over the long run unless this book is as outstanding as this one is. As far as the book itself this profesor and slightly mad man along with his cronies are big time ivy league practical jokesters. Half the experiments had me cracking up the way they are presented in this book. This guy is clever, really clever. Enjoy.— Michael, Audible listener
5/5 stars — “People are Funny”
"Know thyself", (an inscription on the temple of Apollo). The human mind is incredible biologically but when you begin to study the way we convince ourselves of truth, it becomes mind-boggling. Understanding why we do certain things is a mystery to most of us. This book invites us to examine "the irrationality" of what we consider to be "clear thinking". Situations like the "come on ploys" of advertising to the excuses that we parden our own behavior with, the author examines and tests (statistically) the bad thinking or "not useful thinking" of himself and the people around him. Written with a touch of irony and good humor, this book examines its a humorous as well as the insidious dimensions of our everyday thinking.— Cliff J, Audible listener
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