Why do our headaches persist after taking a one-cent aspirin but disappear when we take a 50-cent aspirin?
Why does recalling the Ten Commandments reduce our tendency to lie, even when we couldn't possibly be caught?
Why do we splurge on a lavish meal but cut coupons to save twenty-five cents on a can of soup?
Why do we go back for second helpings at the unlimited buffet, even when our stomachs are already full?
And how did we ever start spending $4.15 on a cup of coffee when, just a few years ago, we used to pay less than a dollar?
These are some examples taken from the book of Dan Ariely “Predictably Irrational” and when it comes to making decisions in our lives, we think we're in control. We think we're making smart, rational choices. But are we? This questions keep us busy thinking was it a correct decision from my side?
In the book we try to understand how the author refutes the common assumption that we behave in fundamentally rational ways. Blending everyday experience with groundbreaking research, it explains how expectations, emotions, social norms, and other invisible, seemingly illogical forces skew our reasoning abilities.
Not only do we make childish simple mistakes every day, but we make the same types of mistakes, continuously . We consistently overpay, underestimate, and procrastinate by replacing high priority actions with tasks of low priority actions. We fail to understand the profound effects of our emotions on what we want, and we overvalue what we already own. And these misguided behaviours are neither random nor senseless, they're systematic and predictable—making us predictably irrational.
To sum up, before taking a decision we have to think clear and rational trying not to be influenced by some factors such as: emotional distress, cognitive deficiency or even inadequate reasoning which may lead to our irrational behaviour.
Anri
What you say is true. Each and one of us in our lives has made such "predictably irrational" choices. We don't give a second thought to think if we really want what is offered to us but we are somehow conned to make the most predictable choice.
YanıtlaSilThe book really makes you think twice about the factors that influence our behavior and choices.
For sure the book makes you think we need to call our reason more often and use what we now know to behave rationally instead of falling in the trap of predictable irrationality.
Artemisa
To my mind, the hidden forces behind our feelings,thinkings,decisions change from person to person & from case to case.Let's evaluate the examples you took from the book of Dan Ariely to understand the reasons behind those actions.
YanıtlaSil1-To feel good when you take an expensive medicine and still have headache when you get a cheap one.In this example, you either have no a real problem,just psychological or the cheap drug doesn't work indeed.
2-Less lie when religious rules come to mind: it means that this person is not a real believer and behaves fairly by force/fear.
3-Lavish on a meal can be explained by your position at that moment.Most probably you need or have to show yourself to people in the table for a specific reason.
4-To eat too much when there is an open buffet is a very common behaviour due to irresistable attractiveness of free of charge.
5-To overpay for a product/service : some people do it if there is a possibility of gaining something and the others do it just to get more satisfaction by feeling themselves better by using their financial power.
According to me,usually, there is a reason, rationality somehow behind irrational behaviours,decisions.
Anri , you are right
YanıtlaSilthis is the human ,
sometimes we save something to pay much than before later , some time we go to shopping from an extra ordinary shop to say we bought from this shop or to have the bag of it
i think this topic is very close with changing mind topic
Thank you Anri for this nice comment about the book “Predictably Irrational”. I totally agree with you that we are so focused on tasks of low priority and we flaunt important things.
YanıtlaSil