Sign in with FacebookTaka's Reviews > The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home
The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home (Audiobook)
by Dan Ariely
by Dan Ariely
Taka's review
bookshelves: japan_jul07-aug10, social-science
Jun 22, 10
bookshelves: japan_jul07-aug10, social-science
Read from June 14 to 21, 2010
Good!
Deeply personal than his previous work, this book explores more about the irrational side of human beings at the same time reveals much about the author behind the work.
The first two chapters deal with the relationship between performance and reward, and the meaning of work - topics more comprehensively covered in Daniel Pink's excellent book, Drive, Chapter 9 ("On Empathy and Emotion") in Dan and Chip Heath's Made to Stick and so I didn't learn much from them, but the rest of the book was a feast of practical tools and excellent review of some of the material I learned in psychology courses.
Some of the practical tips I learned from this book include:
1) Creating something (and finishing it) makes you value it more (the Ikea effect). This includes cooking, building do-it-yourself furniture, and anything that requires effort to do.
2) This also applies to IDEAS and we are biased against anything we didn't come up with (the Not-Invented-Here bias). Application: ask people leading questions to help them come up with ideas instead of feeding ideas to them (this reminded of the wise advise of Dale Carnegie)
3) The effectiveness of apology (The Case for Revenge). Say "SORRY" when you do something wrong. Otherwise, suffer the consequences of your actions.
4) When you fall off the horse, get back on it right away! (adaptation and getting used to pain thresholds - also reminds me of the psychotherapeutic technique of "flooding" to make someone get used to negative emotions and phobias)
5) Go through painful experiences at once for minimum pain (most likely to adapt) and try to INTERRUPT pleasurable experiences for maximum pleasure (least likely to adapt). Practical application: instead of going on a shopping spree with your bonus, buy one thing at a time and wait till the effect of the new item wear off before buying something else. If you have to cut costs, stop drinking coffee, move to a small apartment, cut back on weekend spending ALL AT ONCE for minimum pain.
6) The effectiveness of conversation starters (When a Market Fails) - having something to talk about and share some experience = bonding.
and
7) Irrelevant emotions can affect not only your decisions but also your future decisions and your interpretation of yourself, giving rise to an identity you might not have intended before.
All in all, a very informative book rich in psychological insights you can apply in your daily life.
Deeply personal than his previous work, this book explores more about the irrational side of human beings at the same time reveals much about the author behind the work.
The first two chapters deal with the relationship between performance and reward, and the meaning of work - topics more comprehensively covered in Daniel Pink's excellent book, Drive, Chapter 9 ("On Empathy and Emotion") in Dan and Chip Heath's Made to Stick and so I didn't learn much from them, but the rest of the book was a feast of practical tools and excellent review of some of the material I learned in psychology courses.
Some of the practical tips I learned from this book include:
1) Creating something (and finishing it) makes you value it more (the Ikea effect). This includes cooking, building do-it-yourself furniture, and anything that requires effort to do.
2) This also applies to IDEAS and we are biased against anything we didn't come up with (the Not-Invented-Here bias). Application: ask people leading questions to help them come up with ideas instead of feeding ideas to them (this reminded of the wise advise of Dale Carnegie)
3) The effectiveness of apology (The Case for Revenge). Say "SORRY" when you do something wrong. Otherwise, suffer the consequences of your actions.
4) When you fall off the horse, get back on it right away! (adaptation and getting used to pain thresholds - also reminds me of the psychotherapeutic technique of "flooding" to make someone get used to negative emotions and phobias)
5) Go through painful experiences at once for minimum pain (most likely to adapt) and try to INTERRUPT pleasurable experiences for maximum pleasure (least likely to adapt). Practical application: instead of going on a shopping spree with your bonus, buy one thing at a time and wait till the effect of the new item wear off before buying something else. If you have to cut costs, stop drinking coffee, move to a small apartment, cut back on weekend spending ALL AT ONCE for minimum pain.
6) The effectiveness of conversation starters (When a Market Fails) - having something to talk about and share some experience = bonding.
and
7) Irrelevant emotions can affect not only your decisions but also your future decisions and your interpretation of yourself, giving rise to an identity you might not have intended before.
All in all, a very informative book rich in psychological insights you can apply in your daily life.
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