Dan Ariely

In his bestselling book Predictably Irrational, Dan Ariely (2008) joins a long tradition of psychologists who have challenged common assumptions that most human decision making is based on rational considerations. For example, have you ever stood in a long line on a free burrito or ice cream scoop day at a local establishment? When you stop to think about it, is the $3 in savings really worth a 45-minute wait? Forget the free food—if we offered you $3 to spend 45 minutes of your time just standing in place, would you take that deal? If not, why is the “free” snack worth wasting the same amount of your time?