The Irrational Bundle

“A lively tour through the impulses that cause many of us to cheat, the book offers especially keen insights into the ways in which we cut corners while still thinking of ourselves as moral people.”  — Time Dan Ariely, behavioral economist and New York Times bestselling author of Predictably Irrational and The Upside of Irrationality, returns with a thought-provoking work that challenges our preconceptions about dishonesty and urges us to take an honest look at ourselves. Does the chance of getting caught affect how likely we are to cheat? How do companies pave the way for dishonesty? Does collaboration make us more or less honest? Does religion improve our honesty? Most of us think of ourselves as honest, but, in fact, we all cheat. From Washington to Wall Street, the classroom to the workplace, unethical behavior is everywhere. None of us is immune, whether it's a white lie to head off trouble or padding our expense reports. In The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty, award-winning author Dan Ariely shows why some things are easier to lie about than others; how getting caught matters less than we think in whether we cheat; and how business practices pave the way for unethical behavior, both intentionally and unintentionally. Ariely explores how unethical behavior works in the personal, professional, and political worlds, and how it affects all of us, even as we think of ourselves as having high moral standards. But all is not lost. Ariely also identifies what keeps us honest, pointing the way for achieving higher ethics in our everyday lives. With compelling personal and academic findings, The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty will change the way we see ourselves, our actions, and others. Based on years of groundbreaking research, this book uncovers the hidden forces behind our choices: The Fudge Factor Theory: Discover why most of us cheat—but only by a little bit—and the powerful role of rationalization in letting us feel like good people anyway. Blinded by Incentives: An unflinching look at conflicts of interest and how even well-meaning professionals can make biased decisions without realizing it. Simple Moral Reminders: Learn how subtle cues, from recalling the Ten Commandments to signing a form at the top, can dramatically increase honesty in the moment of temptation. Creativity and Justification: Explore the counterintuitive finding that the more creative we are, the better we are at telling stories that justify our own unethical behavior. Depletion and Decision Making: Understand why we’re more likely to lie and make bad choices when we’re tired, and what ego depletion means for workplace ethics.