Dan Ariely has divided the books
into two broad parts: Part 1- The unexpected way we defy logic at work and Part
2- The unexpected way we defy logic at home. Each part has five chapters
covering five different areas where so called rational human being behaves irrationally.
Why and bonuses work in
motivating employees? How much bonus should be paid to employees performing
physical work and mental work? When do
we derive joy from our work, how comes the sense of contribution? Do people satisfy
themselves with compensation despite having no attachment for the work they are
performing? Is there actually an upside of revenge, why people inflict pain
upon themselves to teach lessons to others? These questions are covered in the
first part of the book with simple narrative and various examples. The second
part primarily deals with ability to adapt, emotion and decision making.
Most of the conclusions and
finding of the book will look logical if you already know that rational man is not
so rational. However, the beauty of the book is the gamut of experiments
conducted to validate the logical aspects of irrationality. Dan Ariely adds his
own experiences, esp. with burn injuries to elaborate some of the points.
A good book to understand how you
and the world around you behave in various situations. Dan goes further to
explain how the irrational side could be harnessed for the benefit of
companies, society and at personal level.
Worth spending your time and
money for this 334 page book.
