Quotes from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“individuals are honest only to the extent that suits them (including their desire to please others)”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“But suppose we are nothing more than the sum of our first, naive, random behaviors. What then?”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“Ownership is not limited to material things. It can also apply to points of view. Once we take ownership of an idea — whether it’s about politics or sports — what do we do? We love it perhaps more than we should. We prize it more than it is worth. And most frequently, we have trouble letting go of it because we can’t stand the idea of its loss. What are we left with then? An ideology — rigid and unyielding.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“we usually think of ourselves as sitting the driver's seat, with ultimate control over the decisions we made and the direction our life takes; but, alas, this perception has more to do with our desires-with how we want to view ourselves-than with reality”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“Giving up on our long-term goals for immediate gratification, my friends, is procrastination.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“Standard economics assumes that we are rational... But, as the results presented in this book (and others) show, we are far less rational in our decision making... Our irrational behaviors arevneither random nor senseless- they are systematic and predictable. We all make the same types of mistakes over and over, because of he basic wiring of our brains.-pg. 239”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“that when given the opportunity, many honest people will cheat.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“one that we are just beginning to understand- is that trust, once eroded, is very hard to restore.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“A few years ago, for instance, the AARP asked some lawyers if they would offer less expensive services to needy retirees, at something like $30 an hour. The lawyers said no. Then the program manager from AARP had a brilliant idea: he asked the lawyers if they would offer free services to needy retirees. Overwhelmingly, the lawyers said yes. What was going on here? How could zero dollars be more attractive than $30? When money was mentioned, the lawyers used market norms and found the offer lacking, relative to their market salary. When no money was mentioned they used social norms and were willing to volunteer their time. Why didn’t they just accept the $30, thinking of themselves as volunteers who received $30? Because once market norms enter our considerations, the social norms depart.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“human beings are inherently social and trusting animals.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“People are willing to work free, and they are willing to work for a reasonable wage; but offer them just a small payment and they will walk away.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“There are many examples to show that people will work more for a cause than for cash.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“The danger of expecting nothing is that, in the end, it might be all we'll get.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“But because human being tend to focus on short-term benefits and our own immediate needs, such tragedies of the commons occur frequently .”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“That’s a lesson we can all learn: the more we have, the more we want. And the only cure is to break the cycle of relativity.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“feeling so far is that standardized testing and performance-based salaries are likely to push education from social norms to market norms. The United States already spends more money per student than any other Western society. Would it be wise to add more money? The same consideration applies to testing: we are already testing very frequently, and more testing is unlikely to improve the quality of education. I suspect that one answer lies in the realm of social norms. As we learned in our experiments, cash will take you only so far—social norms are the forces that can make a difference in the long run. Instead of focusing the attention of the teachers, parents, and kids on test scores, salaries, and competition, it might be better to instill in all of us a sense of purpose, mission, and pride in education. To do this we certainly can’t take the path of market norms. The Beatles proclaimed some time ago that you “Can’t Buy Me Love” and this also applies to the love of learning—you can’t buy it; and if you try, you might chase it away.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“MONEY, AS IT turns out, is very often the most expensive way to motivate people. Social norms are not only cheaper, but often more effective as well.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“Thoreau wrote, “Simplify! Simplify!” And, indeed, simplification is one mark of real genius.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“Without constant suspicion, we can get more out of our exchanges with others while spending less time making sure that others will fulfill their promise to us.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“Tom had discovered a great law of human action, namely, that in order to make a man covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“people are sometimes willing to sacrifice the pleasure they get from a particular consumption experience in order to project a certain image to others.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“we are pawns in a game whose forces we largely fail to comprehend.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“If we all make systematic mistakes in our decisions, then why not develop new strategies, tools, and methods to help us make better decisions and improve our overall well-being? That's exactly the meaning of free lunches- the idea that there are tools, methods, and policies that can help all of us make better decisions and as a consequence achieve what we desire-pg. 241”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“most people don't know what they want unless they see it in context.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“If you're a company, my advice is to remember that you can't have it both ways. You can’t treat your customers like family one moment and then treat them impersonally—or, even worse, as a nuisance or a competitor—a moment later when this becomes more convenient or profitable.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“Resisting temptation and instilling self-control are general human goals, and repeatedly failing to achieve them is a source of much of our misery.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“at Dunkin’ Donuts, how did we move our anchor to Starbucks? This is where it gets really interesting. When Howard Shultz created Starbucks, he was as intuitive a businessman as Salvador Assael. He worked diligently to separate Starbucks from other coffee shops, not through price but through ambience. Accordingly, he designed Starbucks from the very beginning to feel like a continental coffeehouse. The early shops were fragrant with the smell of roasted beans (and better-quality roasted beans than those at Dunkin’ Donuts). They sold fancy French coffee presses. The showcases presented alluring snacks—almond croissants, biscotti, raspberry custard pastries, and others. Whereas Dunkin’ Donuts had small, medium, and large coffees, Starbucks offered Short, Tall, Grande, and Venti, as well as drinks with high-pedigree names like Caffè Americano, Caffè Misto, Macchiato, and Frappuccino. Starbucks did everything in its power, in other words, to make the experience feel different—so different that we would not use the prices at Dunkin’ Donuts as an anchor, but instead would be open to the new anchor that Starbucks was preparing for us. And that, to a great extent, is how Starbucks succeeded. GEORGE, DRAZEN, AND I were so excited with the experiments on coherent arbitrariness that we decided to push the idea one step farther. This time, we had a different twist to explore. Do you remember the famous episode in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the one in which Tom turned the whitewashing of Aunt Polly’s fence into an exercise in manipulating his friends? As I’m sure you recall, Tom applied the paint with gusto, pretending to enjoy the job. “Do you call this work?” Tom told his friends. “Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day?” Armed with this new “information,” his friends discovered the joys of whitewashing a fence. Before long, Tom’s friends were not only paying him for the privilege, but deriving real pleasure from the task—a win-win outcome if there ever was one. From our perspective, Tom transformed a negative experience to a positive one—he transformed a situation in which compensation was required to one in which people (Tom’s friends) would pay to get in on the fun. Could we do the same? We”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“Some special conpanies see trust as the pulic good.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“So imagine two scenarios. Let’s say it’s the holidays, and two different neighbors invite you to their parties in the same week. You accept both invitations. In one case, you do the irrational thing and give Neighbor X a bottle of Bordeaux; for the second party you adopt the rational approach and give Neighbor Z $50 in cash. The following week, you need some help moving a sofa. How comfortable would you be approaching each of your neighbors, and how do you think each would react to your request for a favor? The odds are that Neighbor X will step in to help. And Neighbor Z? Since you have already paid him once (to make and share dinner with you), his logical response to your request for help might be, “Fine. How much will you pay me this time?” Again, the prospect of acting rationally, financially speaking, sounds deeply irrational in terms of social norms. The point is that while gifts are financially inefficient, they are an important social lubricant. They help us make friends and create long-term relationships that can sustain us through the ups and downs of life. Sometimes, it turns out, a waste of money can be worth a lot.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“When people think about a placebo such as the royal touch, they usually dismiss it as "just psychology." But, there is nothing "just" about the power of a placebo, and in reality it represents the amazing way our mind controls our body.”
― Dan Ariely, quote from Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

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