《怪诞行为学》

    This is a 2008 book by Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist at Duke. In the book he shows that people do not make decisions in a rational* manner as they themselves believe.

    The writer describes dozens of experiments that show how we procrastinate*, when we cheat, how we see prices, and much more. Ariely’s work is interesting at least in part because most of his experiments are simple.

    His work often involves a simple concept*, a few props*, and willing subjects*. The simplicity is deceptive*, though, because the results show the complexity of the brain’s decision-making process.

    One theory on cheating: It’s easier to steal when the object is one step away from cash. Just think, you might steal a pencil from your workplace but probably not the money to buy a pencil. He set out with six packs of Coke and plates containing six one-dollar bills. He walked through the dorms* at MIT* looking for shared refrigerators, and placed either Cokes or a money plate in each fridge.

    What do you think he found 72 hours later? The Cokes started disppearing within hours and were completely gone by the third day. The money, meanwhile, was untouched in every case, and Ariely finally took away the plates and recovered it all.

    The book is written in an easy-going style that, combined with Ariely’s straightforward* experimental techniques, makes it an enjoyable read for anyone interested in human behavior.

    Both English and Chinese versions are available online.(SD-Agencies)