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 enlarge | Author: Dan Ariely
Publisher: HarperCollins
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $13.98
You Save: $11.97 (46%)
New (52) from $13.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  134 reviews
Sales Rank: 233
Format: Roughcut
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6 x 1.4
ISBN: 006135323X
Dewey Decimal Number: 153.83
EAN: 9780061353239
ASIN: 006135323X
Publication Date: February 19, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW, IN-HOUSE READY TO SHIP!!! NOT A BARGAIN, REMAINDER OR BOOKCLUB BOOK!!! WE ARE A 5 STAR SELLER.
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| Customer Reviews:
Fun and Insightful June 10, 2008
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and had quote it in conversation nearly daily as you see these behaviors play out. It is written well and goes quickly. The authors blog isn't bad either.
Entertaining and Sometimes Surprising June 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I picked this one up after hearing Dan Ariely interviewed on NPR. While it probably could have been about 1/3 as long without sacrificing anything (the writing seems really padded and needlessly verbose), each chapter has something to offer. I found the results of the author's experiments consistently interesting, and at least a few of them so struck me that I will modify my behavior and thinking as a result.
Those who are criticizing Ariely's attempts to apply his findings to the larger world should lighten up. It's just one man's opinion. The results of the experiments, however, are irrefutable. This is well worth reading, even if you do some skimming here and there.
 Entertaining Insight into Human Nature June 5, 2008
This book is similar to Freakonomics, but I like the experiments better in this one. Dan Ariely has excellent insight into different questions about how we behave.
Entertaining and informative June 2, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I found the narrator amusing; he added enjoyment to listening to the book. The information in the book was insightful.
 Sometimes shallow, sometimes wrong June 1, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
First, the good points.
The author turns our attention to some important things in human behavior. The comparison between 'social norms' (where people help each other and do good things for free) and the 'market behavior' is very interesting. Social norms in the work-place and social norms in education are very positive things.
Another very important point is the observation that young people can not make correct decisions when aroused. Thus, "Just Say No!" is really the right answer!
The negatives.
Well, many experiments and observations lack depth and scope. Most are done with students in prominent universities and therefore, can not be spread on the entire society. Young students often live in a special world of their own.
Next, the author sometimes extrapolates quite wrongly. For instance, in Chapter 11 where he discusses honesty/dishonesty in society, on pp. 214-215 the author writes:
"Adam Smith reminded us that honesty really is the best policy, especially in business. To get a glimpse at the other side of this realization - at the downside, in a society without trust - you can take a look at several countries. In China the word of one person in one region rarely carries to another region...Iran is another example of a nation stricken by distrust. An Iranian student at MIT told me that business there lacks a platform of trust".
OK, in the June 2008 issue of Scientific American there is a research article on the neurobiology of trust. On page 95 in that article we see a table 'National Trust' showing the trust levels in different countries. In this list of 30 countries the highest level of trust is found in Norway (above 60%), while China comes third (above 50%) and Iran fourth (50%), way above many European countries.
So, just because "An Iranian student at MIT told me", the author branded Iran as a nation "stricken by distrust" - and this in found in the chapter on honesty! What about the scientific method?
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