The Upside of Irrationality - The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home

I really wasn’t sure what “The Upside Of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home” by Dan Ariely would be like. I was not familiar with his previous bestselling book, “Predictably Irrational.” It sounded like it might be interesting, so I checked it out. I’m very glad I did! It was extremely interesting, and I really enjoyed reading it.

The author, Dan Ariely, is a behavioral economist, and in this book, he shares personal experiences along with various experiments he’s conducted that illustrate the positive effects irrationality can have on our lives. My favorite chapter, because I found it so very interesting, as well as a chapter that explained certain feelings I’ve had and witnessed, was the chapter on revenge and why revenge is so important to us. It was really surprising that people would hurt themselves to get revenge, but then I guess reading a paper or listening to the news shows that people do crazy things for revenge, even to their own detriment. (Most often to their own detriment)

While the revenge chapter was my favorite, I found the entire book interesting. Ariely addresses topics such as why large bonuses can make CEOs less productive, what really motivates people on the job, why bad directions can help us, what we think will make us happy and what really makes us happy, how we learn to love the ones we are with (well, sometimes), why online dating doesn’t work (and what can make it better) ( The story of the guy who had collected data on more than ten thousand woman blew my mind – more than ten thousand!), how emotions but not thinking compel us to act, and how one unwise action can become a long-term habit. Again, the experiments are unique and entertaining, and I appreciate Ariely’s conclusions. Definitely gave me some things to think about.

I also really appreciated the author’s candid honesty about the devastating accident he experienced that left 70 percent of his body covered with third-degree burns. He starts the book off with the story (his first book told more), but then also discusses some of his experiences related to this accident in different places of the text. I was appreciative that he could use those experiences as examples to draw additional conclusions from related to how and why we behave the way we do. I also liked his suggestions on how we can make ourselves and our society better.

Again, I really didn’t know what this book would be like, but am so very glad I decided to check it out. It was fascinating and provided some great insight into why we behave as we do. Additionally, it was written in a lively and entertaining manner. It’s definitely not a stuffy research filled boring text. If you wonder why people do things, especially things that seem so irrational, give this book a read. It will entertain and open your eyes, as well as answer some questions. It sure did for me.

The Upside of Irrationality - The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home