Wednesday, October 6, 9:00–9:45 a.m.
Dan Ariely is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University and visiting Professor at the MIT Media Lab. A behavioral economist, Ariely’s research has shown that we all succumb to irrationality in situations where rational thought is expected. He is an expert on how people actually act–and why they act–in all kinds of business and economic environments, and what this means for business innovation, strategy, marketing and pricing.
Ariely's forthcoming book Living Irrationally (June 2010) explores fascinating findings from the hundreds of 'experiments' Dan does for his research. He'll dive into personal life (what makes us happy, how we as humans adapt and change, how we date and find mates), work life (what really motivates us, financial vs. non-financial rewards, trust, revenge) and the slippery slope of cheating (how it starts, how it snowballs). He'll pay special attention to the financial and debt crisis, and the post-crash economy and what this means for employers, marketers and public policy. Ariely is also author of the best-selling Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions. In this book, Dan presents research findings that provide new insights into human behavior that will help us make better decisions as individuals, as corporations, and as a society.
Ariely received a Ph.D. in marketing from Duke University, a Ph.D. and M.A. in cognitive psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a B.A. in psychology from Tel Aviv University.
He publishes widely in the leading scholarly journals in economics, psychology, and business. His work has been featured in a variety of media including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Business 2.0, Scientific American, Science, CNN, NPR, and he was interviewed for ABC's 20/20.
As a speaker, Ariely has a natural and unique talent for turning his research into vignettes that are fun, relevant and engaging, and for delivering the results in a genuinely charming, original, and often comical way.
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