Predictably Irrational

Here is a video dedicated to the start of a new academic year. Today we all have good intentions, but what will come of these intentions in the future? 

Can divorce be good for (subsequent) relationships? Maybe. Only after we've undergone the heartwrenching trauma of a divorce or serious breakup do we understand the fragility of a relationship—and the importance of putting in the effort to make it work.

The odd thing about relativity is that we judge almost everything in terms of how it is relative to other things--not relative to everything, only relative to a few things, mostly to the things that are close by and easily comparable.

Behavioral Economics

Microsoft, Beer and Vinegar

Dan Ariely on August 6, 2008

Microsoft was able to defy negative expectations about Windows Vista...but with a problematic experiment.

Microsoft was able to defy negative expectations about Windows Vista...but with a problematic experiment.

We don't like to close off our options, even if it's costly to keep them open.

Anger

Are We Paying Too Much Attention to the Price of Gas?

Dan Ariely on July 22, 2008

The rise in what we spend on gas is not nearly as extreme as our increases in categories like electricity and telephone. So why does the amount we spend on gasoline feel so enormous? I think it is because of the way we buy gas.

The rise in what we spend on gas is not nearly as extreme as our increases in categories like electricity and telephone. So why does the amount we spend on gasoline feel so enormous? I think it is because of the way we buy gas.

Clinton recently suggested that if she wins the Democratic primaries, she would select Obama as her vice president. Was this a good move on her part? How should Obama have reacted to this?

The US government is clearly under some pressure to take action in an attempt to stabilize the economy, and as a consequence, just announced a $150 billion (more or less) stimulus packages that is supposed to rejuvenate the economy and stabilize the market. Will the current plan achieve the government’s goals?

The nights in the burn department were always difficult, and many of the patients would regularly ask (beg) for more painkillers to help them fall sleep. One afternoon I overheard the doctors tell the nurses not to give a certain patient any more morphine. A few hours later, when the same patient started begging for painkillers I saw the nurse go to her room with an injection and a few seconds later the patient quietly went to sleep. When the nurse stopped by my room, I asked her about it and with a smile she told me that she had given the patient IV fluid.

My first book was about to be born ..... I stayed awake until midnight, just to see the countdown on my computer arrive at the “In Stores Now!” I went to bed soon after but at 2:30 AM woke up, full of excitement, and could not fall a sleep again. I was not too worried because I was sure that the excitement would give me sufficient energy for the day ahead and indeed this was correct.

Why do we cheat?

Lessons from HotOrNot.com