Dan Ariely's book Predictably Irrational looks at quirks in human behavior that refute the theory that people usually behave in a rational manner. He cites studies that people feel better after taking an expensive placebo rather than a cheap placebo. This has implications for the dietary supplement industry. They should be charging more for products that have not been proven to be clinically effective because people will feel better after taking them.
Dan's personal struggle recovering from burns over most of his body inspired his research. He wanted to understand why nurses rapidly took off his bandages rather than doing it slowly. The nurses thought the rapid removal would be better because the pain would be over quicker. It turns out the nurses were also dealing with there own discomfort and wanting to shorten the time that they would cause pain in another person. It turns out that removing the bandages slowly was a better technique.
He also conducted a study about how expectations change our perception of reality. He had individuals blindly taste beer with balsamic vinegar added. It turns out that more than half of the people liked it. When told before they tasted it that in contained balsamic vinegar. Most people hated it. They expected the addition of vinegar to make the beer taste bad. A doctor giving you a shot of saline will cause your body produce your own morphine and you will feel better than if your three year old daughter squirted you in the face with a water pistol.
Dan Ariely at TEDx Midwest
Expectations change our physiology
The book, Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions is available from Amazon.com
No comments:
Post a Comment