Posts: Art and Literature / Sway - the irresistible pull of irrational behavior

Very entertaining book that highlights some of the interesting aspects of human decision making and what happens when we make what are perceived to be irrational choices.

The book opens with an attempt to explain the actions of Captain Jacob Van Zanten, a pilot who attempted to take-off without clearance and killed his passengers and himself as a result.

Other anecdotes include Who Wants To Be A Millionaire audiences giving incorrect answers during a life-line, a class of economics students bidding over $200 for a $20 dollar bill, and hoaxes within the archaeological community.

The book doesn't go into the interesting evolutionary reasons behind our irrational behaviours, but serves as a good overview of many notable psychological and economic studies.