SWAY: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior

What a great and fast read. I flew through this book on a flight from Boston to Chicago. Not exactly the longest flight. Sure the book is only 181 pages so that helps the quickness of the read but the material is at least entertaining.

Why do good people make bad decisions? The book discusses this with various examples and studies. It really paints the picture of people who should know better (and actually DO know better) but still can't make the right decision based on various outside (and inside) influences. If you enjoyed reading the Freakonomics books and studying why people do things this book is surely for you.

The highlight of this book? The chapter labelled "In France, the Sun Revolves Around the Earth" which opens with the discussion of "Who wants to be a millionaire" audiences spitefully picking the wrong "ask the audience" answer. Is this proving my theory that spite is the greatest human emotion? Well if that doesn't do it for you the an additional study on two randomly assigned people splitting a $20 bill will sure prove it. Turns out people will reject a $18/$2 split because its not fair. Of course rejecting the bonus $2 versus $0 seems to not make sense but people will reject the offer if they deem it unfair to themselves. Spite wins again!

I strongly recommended this book. It's fun, quick, entertaining and even will learn you a thing or two!

Labels: Books

- posted by Doug @ 11:03:00 AM