Product Description

Why do doctors, generals, civil servants and others consistently make wrong decisions that cause enormous harm to others? And why do you sit through a boring play just because the tickets were expensive?

Irrational beliefs and behaviours are virtually universal. Not only gamblers and parapsychologists but selection committees and experts often fall into simple statistical traps to do with sample sizes or assuming causal links. In this iconoclastic book Stuart Sutherland analyses the many causes of irrationality and shows that it is universal. Drawing on a mass of intriguing research, he examines why we are irrational, the different kinds of irrationality, the damage it does us and the possible cures. He argues that we could reduce irrationality - but only if we first recognize how irrational we normally are. The questions raised in this book are of importance to everyone.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #993 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-10
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Richard Dawkin
Extremely gripping and unusually well written.

Oliver Sacks
Terrifying, sometimes comic, very readable and totally enthralling.

British Journal of Psychiatry
Consistently lively, amusing and intriguing ... it should be mandatory reading.

Customer Reviews

Irrationality- A virus to be treated
Stuart Sutherland has prepared a psychology book that's accessible to anybody, from the professor to the layman. He cites so many examples of irrationality through research and experiments conducted in the past few decades. The book is packed full of references to experiments and situations where humans behave in foolish ways sub-consciously. The only criticism I have is, like most books, he tends to digress too much towards irrationality in medicine which can become rather dull during the middle of the book. The text explains very well to the reader how the use of rewards, incentives and punishments are dangerous in many instances, and leads you to think about how our education system can be fully improved by eradicating the incentives we have for children today. He also proves how those with strong beliefs are acting irrationally, as they only search for evidence that fully confirms their belief, therefore encouraging extremism. The rational thing to do if one is so confident in a belief, he adds, is to seek evidence contradicting those beliefs. Sutherland also provides guidance to avoid irrationality after each chapter.

Overall, the book is incredibly thought provoking, yet his tendency to digress on many subjects leads to self-indulgence which can become tiresome towards the middle. All in all, I would recommend it to anyone.

Really Thought Provoking
This is my first and I hope many more reviews to come, as I find them very useful in choosing whether to buy a book or not.

Anyway, I have had this book for 3 months now and found it completely enthralling. The book is about why we all at times make irrational choices such as when we are in groups, committees and depending on our emotional state. It all seems to "click" and when you see real life examples at work you feel as if you know why! For me it does make me aware of how I am making my decision.

I recommend this for anyone interested in how the human mind comes to decisions, why politicians make awful policies and cannot go back and why military generals should not believe in their own abilities.

Essential reading - Changes your way of thinking
On reading this book you are a presented with everyday problems and the simply irrational way we make decisions- from leaving the cinema to international travel. This non-technical tale provokes thinking in a way that does not confuse the reader, but keeps them enthralled throughout- always wanting to read the next section.

To give you an idea- here is one of the simple irrationalities presented to us- You've paid to go and see a film, but don't like it- do you leave early? Whilst most people would say no, this book tempts us to say yes and shows us that this the logical way to do things. Essentially do we waste our time and money (and stay in the cinema) or just our money? Surely we should cut our losses and leave, but irrationality shows that in fact we don't we stick around in a way that shows our poor decision making.

Overall, irrationality presents solid arguments in a way thats easy to understand. A fantastic book.