Editors Reads Verdict
A worthy sequel that turns the lens on the productive side of human irrationality — more personal than its predecessor, with the scar tissue experiments and adaptation sections among Ariely's finest work.
What We Loved
- The sections on adaptation and hedonic forecasting — we're much better at adapting to misfortune than we predict — are among the most useful psychological findings in the popular literature
- Ariely's own experience with severe burns grounds the abstract research in genuine personal stakes
- The chapter on long-distance relationships as a natural experiment in idealization is unexpectedly profound
Minor Drawbacks
- Less tightly structured than Predictably Irrational — the 'upside' framing is sometimes stretched to accommodate research that fits the lab better than the title
- Some findings cited have faced replication challenges since publication
Key Takeaways
- → Effort increases attachment — the IKEA effect shows that we value things we helped create more than identical things we didn't
- → Our ability to adapt to adverse circumstances is systematically underestimated — we will feel better than we predict after misfortune
- → Large bonuses don't necessarily improve performance — above a certain threshold, performance anxiety can override the incentive effect
| Author | Dan Ariely |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Harper |
| Pages | 334 |
| Published | June 1, 2010 |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Non-Fiction, Psychology, Behavioral Economics |
The Upside of Irrationality Review
The Upside of Irrationality is Dan Ariely’s follow-up to Predictably Irrational, and while it cannot replicate the freshness of a first book, it earns its place as a companion volume by asking a different and more nuanced question: if human irrationality is systematic and pervasive, are there ways in which it serves us well?
Ariely’s answer, worked through a series of experiments and case studies, is yes. The IKEA effect — the documented tendency to value things we helped create more than identical things we didn’t — is irrational from a pure economic standpoint but psychologically sensible: it makes us engaged with our work and attached to our environments. Our tendency to adapt to adverse circumstances more effectively than we predict means we are more resilient than our hedonic forecasting would suggest. Our preference for meaningful work over meaningless work, even when the meaningless work pays better, reflects values that utility theory cannot accommodate but psychology can explain.
The book is more personal than its predecessor. Ariely, who was severely burned in an accident as a teenager and spent three years recovering, uses his own experience of adaptation as a lens for exploring how we adjust to circumstances we could not have imagined enduring. These passages have a different quality from the experimental reporting — they are warmer, more reflective, and more moving. The book as a whole is less tightly unified than Predictably Irrational but more humanly interesting, a portrait of a scientist who has spent decades studying the gap between how we think we work and how we actually work, and who finds that gap frequently instructive.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "The Upside of Irrationality" about?
Ariely's follow-up to Predictably Irrational examines how our systematic cognitive quirks can work in our favour — in relationships, at work, and in how we adapt to adversity. The irrational behaviours that hurt us in markets can help us in life.
What are the key takeaways from "The Upside of Irrationality"?
Effort increases attachment — the IKEA effect shows that we value things we helped create more than identical things we didn't Our ability to adapt to adverse circumstances is systematically underestimated — we will feel better than we predict after misfortune Large bonuses don't necessarily improve performance — above a certain threshold, performance anxiety can override the incentive effect
Is "The Upside of Irrationality" worth reading?
A worthy sequel that turns the lens on the productive side of human irrationality — more personal than its predecessor, with the scar tissue experiments and adaptation sections among Ariely's finest work.
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