Help find a name
Oct
30
I recently started working on my next book.
It is generally going to be more stories about my research and the plan is to have 3 parts
Part 1: Personal life, happiness, adaptation, dating, and online dating
Part 2: business life: motivation at work, the role of bonuses, mistrust, and revenge
Part 3: cheating: the effects of observing other people cheat, group based cheating, the effect of one dishonest act on others etc.
The current title is:
Living irrationally: the way we work, date and cheat.
If you have any other suggestions for a title, please email me at dan at predictablyirrational dot com
Many thanks
Dan
The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone - Especially Ourselves
Your title is very good and provides name recognition as a a sequel. Perhaps if you wabnt to hit a new market then
We are what we are: navigating deception and self-deception or if you want some more limbic system words
We are what we are: navigating lies and self-deception
How about: “Irrationally Predictable”
I like the current title, but since this reminded me of the “cheating is based on your sweatshirt color” test, how about this…
Living Irrationally: how others convince us to cheat.
How about
Idiosyncratic Idiocy
I don’t care, I’ll buy it anyway.
To Cheat or Not to Cheat: Living in an irrational world
1) HI LIFE – Highly irrational Life
2) iLIFE
Enjoy writing it!
Hi,
Perhaps, like Tim Ferriss, you could setup Google Adwords campaigns to test the popularity of different titles?
Cheers,
Simon
humm…i thought the title was still sounds too ‘academic’
, I still thinking about it, but…has it published now?
Winners Never Cheat – Living in an Irrational World
OR
The Irrational Games People Play – Motivation and Cheating in Dating and Business
OR
Irrational to Not Cheat? And Other Thoughts on Business and Life
Good Luck!
Mike
Am sure I will read it multiple times and buy several copies to give to colleagues as I did with your first.
The Human Condition: Does it make sense?
Parallelism matters to me. I therefore would suggest at least transposing work and date in your subtitle to reflect the book’s structure. I’d also make “way” plural. (Living irrationally: the ways we date, work, and cheat.) But that doesn’t add much value — your editor certainly should have picked up on those comments.
More substantively, you might consider changing the main title to Relating Irrationally or Irrational Relationships or something along those lines. I know we just have a snapshot overview in your post, but I don’t see strong unity among the three sections (actions, actions, effects). The third section looks like it examines how cheating affects relationships, so that title might give the book a tighter focus.
Actually, as I think about the title more, the “ways” and “we” parts of the subtitle seem inaccurate because of the third section. You can see the tension in Mike McRitchie’s earlier comment when he dropped the third element of how cheating affects others. Are you tightly wed to this three-part structure? If so, you might move to an altogether different approach to the subtitle, such as
Playing the game and being played
or
Why we think we’re smarter than everyone else
Hope this helps.
I like your idea, as well as several posted. How about:
Living Irrationally: Life, Labor, and the Pursuit of Dishonesty
Or substitute “Deception” for “Dishonesty”
How about :
SuperIrrationality : the way we work, date and cheat
Hi Dan: ecirun’s comment is penetrating. I’d like this person as my editor. Good luck w/ the book.
p.s. perhaps you can add a bit of danger to the title, i.e., something that suggests irrationaly decision making can have bad consequences. Rob
Work Date and Cheat Irrationally
I like the current title the way it is.
Perhaps a hint of solution would make it nicer. I know I’m irrational, I wish there are ways to prevent me from making bad decisions. So how about adding a subtitle, “Living irrationally: the way we work, date and cheat. And how to make better decisions”.
Life, Love and Lust: Predictable? Irrational?
How about — “Love, Lies and Deception – The rationality behind them”
“Making It And Faking It”
(and looking forward to it!)
Go, Dan.
Living Irrationally works well as the title. It presents a universal condition that many can relate to. The subtitles suggested in posts above that provide the sexy twist are
Playing the game and being played
Work, Love & the Pursuit of Deception
Can’t wait for the publication.
Good luck.
examine your habits
try something fresh.
I second the title-chapter parallelism suggested above and advocate cutting down as much as possible. E.g., instead of “the way/s…” consider “how we date, work and cheat.”
Ideas for possible mix-n-match:
1. Still Predictably Irrational: our dating, working, cheating selves
2. Predictably Irrational World: how we date, work and cheat
3. Predictable Irrationality: at work and in play
Barely Intelligent Beings
No ideas for title, just so excited that you’re writing a new book! Yeah us!
I have 3 suggestions.
1) “The Reasons for No Reason”
2) “Work, Sex and Cheating”
3) “Everyone is Insane”
Your current title lacks the potent punch of “Predictably Irrational.” Living Irrationally sounds like the first title, but it sounds very awkward.
Reason is a good word to play with. I can think of a lot of variations. “Reasonably Unreasonable.” “Lack of Reason.” “Don’t Reason with Me.”
“Sex” is always an eye catcher, but some may say that’s the only reason it’s in the title. You could argue for its inclusion based on your section on dating. You could try “How People Work, Date, and Cheat,” but it would not have the same punch.
I also suggest trying the word “Insane” because it is often said that doing the same thing and expecting different results is insane.
The two word title worked well, so don’t mess with it. How about just “Living Irrationally” – done?
Otherwise it does sound like a research paper. The “how we…” can be put in small print under the main title.
Or if you must have a long tite:
Living Irrationally: working, loving, & cheating.
economist’s guide to romance, cheating, and revenge
how to lie, cheat, and date like an economist
How about a nod to Ricky Martin: “Living la Vida Irrational” or whatever irrational is in Spanish.
Predictably Irrational is has such ‘brand’ recognition – why not simply expand on it?
Predictably Irrational – at home, at work, at play.
…or Predictably Irrational – how we meet, greet and cheat!
Really looking forward to the new book, whatever the title.
Be safe.
Irrationate People — why we date, work and cheat.
**
More Predictably Irrational — Why we predictably date, work and cheat at both.
***
The International Irrationals — No matter who we are, we all date, work and cheat in predictably irrational ways. Why?
i second the notion that the title sholdnt be too academic. thats actually the reason why i picked up the first book.
“living irrationally” does it for me! Short punchy, and fits nicely with first book – recognition.
Looking forward to reading it – let me know if you need a proof reader – I’m a keen volunteer!
Thanks a lot for all your creative suggestions — I highly appreciate your ideas and time.
Dan
The brand recognition of the current book is important to build on, as noted.
“Predictably Irrational, Again!”
“Again” serves a dual role: underscores predictability, and shows the book is a sequel. I also like the suggested: Still Predictably Irrational.
The subtext could read:
“Irrationality in our Pursuit of Happiness”
Really, that’s what we’re after when we do anything like date, work, and cheat (and read this book). This also portends a solution to our pursuit of happiness, but doesn’t offer it right on the cover. The reader will have to dig in, and purchase, to find the more rational path in his/her pursuit of happiness.
More predictable irrationality. All about cheating working and dating.
Ideas:
1)
“living irrationally”
– at home and at work
2) “practically rational”
–living our pursuits
3)”simply rationale” (simply irrational)
4)”irrationally strategic”
5)”irrational intimacies”
lastly:
6) Perfectly Imperfect
wheeling and dealing by design
What about:
“Oh shit! Cheat again”
“Shit… dating cheat everywhere”
Mais peut-être n’est ce pas “politiquement correct”?
Best regards
Daly
Hello, wanderful page. Thank you.
Irrational Lifestyles: The Way We….
An Irrational Life: The Way We…
PS
Thanks for a very good book. I’m looking forward to your next book.
“Life”
I suggest you simply wait until completing the book to find your title. Something you write will likely stick out in your mind, screaming to be highlighted on the book’s cover.
Of course in the end, the decision largely rests on your goals. By naming the book before completing it, you have set in stone the topics you will write about, thus pushing your focus in that specific direction. If you wait until completion, then you are free to switch things up a bit during your process, and perhaps introduce some other topics you never imagined discussing.
Or at least that is the way I see things!