Content area
Full Text
The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home By Dan Ariely Harper Collins Publishers, 2011, Pages: 334, Price: ?299 ISBN 9780007431816
I think it would be very foolish not to take the irrational seriously.
-Jeanette Winterson
This is author's second book and protagonist of the book is "Irrationality". Earlier book by Ariely, "Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape tur Decisions" (2008) was also about irrationality. In 'Predictably irrational', author examined a number of biases that lead people into making unwise decisions. He explored the downside of human biases in decision making. As in most cases, the word irrationality has a negative connotation but in his second book, The Upside of Irrationality, he has mentioned the other side of irrationality which is quite positive.
Author tries to focus that our irrational abilities sometimes allow us to adapt to new environment, trust other people and enjoy expending effort. The title of the book The Upside of irrationality is an attempt to capture the complexity of humans' irrationalities.
In this book like his previous book 'Predicability irrational', he mentions about his injury and how three degree burns to 70% of his body has shifted his outlook on many aspects of his life (in his late teens he was burnt when a magnesium flare exploded next to him).
Dan Ariely is an Israeli American professor of psychology and behavioral. He teaches at Duke University and is the founder of The Centre for Advanced Hindsight. Both of his books became New York Times...