Recent Reading: Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely

In Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, Dan Ariely covers some common and uncommon ways in which we humans act against how we want to act. The material generally comes from academic economics, specifically the subfield of behavioral economics. Ariely has an approachable style, telling lots of stories to illustrate his points. Sometimes he seems to fall a little too heavily for his own line of reasoning or personal politics, although he has a lot of captivating material. Overall he covers many mistakes -- and good things -- about what we should do with our lives.