Dan Ariely
PopTech 2009
Dan Ariely is a staunch advocate of returning economics to a focus on how people actually behave. In his 2009 book Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions, described by The New York Times as a “far more revolutionary book than its unthreatening manner lets on,” Ariely posited the notion that altering the thought patterns that lead us repeatedly to the wrong decisions in life is not only possible, but can be spurred on through feedback that, in essence, keeps us from kidding ourselves.
Ariely’s research has been published in leading psychology, economics, and marketing and management journals, and has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and The Financial Times. When not fulfilling his duties as the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University, he provides commentaries for National Public Radio and CNN. He is a founding member of the Center for Advanced Hindsight, and is currently working on a new book titled Dining Without Crumbs: The Art of Eating Over the Sink.