Is the Prius Eco-Friendly, or Ego-Friendly? - Dan Ariely July 12, 2010

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Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2010/06/07/Dan_Ariely_The_Upside_of_Irrationality

"If you wanted to design a problem that people would not care about, it would basically look like global warming," says Duke University behavioral economist Dan Ariely. His proposed solution? Manipulate variables people care about to solve problems, like their egos.

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You hear him frequently on public radio -- now meet the incomparable Dan Ariely when he introduces his new book The Upside of Irrationality!

The 2008 economic crisis taught us that irrationality is an influential player in financial markets. But it is often the case that irrationality also makes it way into our daily lives and decision-making -- in slightly different and vastly more subtle ways. In this enthralling follow-up to his New York Times bestseller Predictably Irrational, Dan Ariely shows how irrationality is an inherent part of the way we function and think, and how it affects our behavior in all areas of our lives, from our romantic relationships to our experiences in the workplace to our temptations to cheat.

Blending everyday experience with groundbreaking analysis and new research into our how we actually make decisions, Ariely explains how expectations, emotions, social norms, and other invisible, seemingly illogical forces skew our reasoning abilities. Using data from original experiments, he draws invaluable conclusions about how -- and why -- we behave the way we do, and reflects on ways we can make ourselves and our society better. - The Booksmith

Dan Ariely is the James B Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Duke University. Dan publishes widely in the leading scholarly journals in economics, psychology, and business. His work has been featured in a variety of media including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Business 2.0, Scientific American, Science and CNN. He splits his time between Durham NC and the rest of the world.