April 29th — happy birthday to me.
Here are some reflections on Shaving, Squash, Sunk cost, and the “pain of paying”
Irrationally yours
Dan
Hi, I’m Dan Ariely. I do research in behavioral economics and try to describe it in plain language. These findings have enriched my life, and my hope is that they will do the same for you.
The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone - Especially Ourselves
Order now:
The Upside of Irrationality, explores some positive and some negative ways that irrationality plays out in our lives.
When we make decisions we think we're in control. But are we?
Excerpts and Videos
Predictably Irrational App
Get the App for Free
Zorionak!
It’s “happy birthday” in Euskera (Basque country).
You may give a try to the old safety razor. Not because it is less expensive in the long term. But because the blades are so cheap than you can enjoy the pleasure of a fresh new blade every two shavings or so and forget about the guilt of over-paying each time you buy and throw away your blades.
Some people may even argue that it shaves better too. But what incentive is that in comparison with the moral benefit of getting rid of the pain of paying.
When things become marginally so cheap that you do not have to think about the cost of their consumption anymore you can sense the true meaning of Freedom and Happiness.
If no more.
happy birtday from your birthday twin in Norway!
Thanks for an inspirational book – do you have a person that manages your speaking appointments. I would love to get you here to Norway for a seminar I am organising.
It is the same with my running shoes. I get one pair and run in them even until my fingers start to come out of the front. Although there is no more cushioning already since long time.
I agree with Xavier. I abandoned all the multi-blade gizmos last year in exchange for an old Gem G-bar. It uses single edge blades which I get in packs of 100 for $20 from Amazon. Each blade lasts for 6 shaves, and could go longer but why since they’re so cheap, I just pop in a new one every Monday. For $20 and the $5 I paid for the razor I have 2 years worth of shaves. The razor has already survived about 40 years of use with the previous owners and still looks new, so I’m confident it’ll last me for many years to come. I also have far less irritation and a more enjoyable shaving experience but thats just personal preference. Look into it before you try one of the newer 5 blade systems.
जन्मदिन मुबारक
That’s happy birthday in Hindi!
I just finished reading PI and I loved it.
Happy B-day from Los Angeles.
Happy Birthday from Argentina!
Great book! Great talks!
I use the same Gilette handle and razors (and also try to stretch their use out too long). However! To take it one step further in irrationality, I did not make that same initial investment you did: some how Gilette knew when my 16th or 18th birthday was (>10 yrs ago) and sent me a FREE handle and a couple blades… since then I’ve been a loyal customer. Insult to injury, I’ve long since lost or left that original handle in a hotel or friend’s apt somewhere, and instead of re-evaluating my shaving needs, I just went and bought the same handle and continued on with the same blades…
Mazal tov. Love your lectures and videos.
On the shaving thing, I switched to good ol’ fashioned DE safety razor blades and never looked back. Once you invest in a good handle the ongoing costs are very low (no more of those expensive cartridges!) and the shaves are nicer. Of course it helps if you get a good shaving brush and a high quality cream.
This should get you started:
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/FAQ
Happy Birthday!
Trying to wrap my head around PI and fundraising….how can I use your knowledge to enhance my work as a fundraiser?
At very least there must be applications in designing return forms.
Keep up the fascinating and fantastic work.
Happy birthday, Dan, however old you are!
dear dan.
first – i wish you happy birthday.
I apology if my english is not good enough but i hope you’ll understand me.
my boy 20 years old is now in jail because he used drugs. in these days he is in in matters of court and i took a good lawyer. the reason i am writting to youis because i am so sad in what is comeing on him. he is a brilliant boy. so clever and intteligent and i don’t understand what made do such a thing. where did i mistake as a mother. i understand that he will be in jail some mounths. i still don’t know how many yime. what it will make to him? i bought him your book translet to hebrew. “irrational …”
i still not believe in what is going on. i pray he will be strong enough this mounts.
thanks.
Parabéns, Dan.
(from Portugal)
All the best and many happy returns, Dr. Arielly!
Happy birthday from Czech Republic(although it’s not your birthday here anymore)
Happy Birthday all the way from Hawaii!!!
Dan,
Happy Birthday. It would have been great to have your class in Year 1 of our MBA program. We would have used some of the theories to analyze the 200+ case studies in a new perspective. Would wait to hear more about Squash.
Thanks, Karishma
Happy Birthday Dan!
And thank you for the last 6 weeks of great classes.
I really enjoyed it!
Thanks,
Carla
from Portugal, in Durham
What about disposable contact lenses?
A few years ago, there was a scandal because the manufacturer produced the very same product and packaged it as either “weekly” or “monthly” – as a result, those people who were cheap enough to keep using the weeklies longer ended up being very, very smart
Happy (belated) Birthday!
You immediately sprang to mind today when reading NYT article on accepting payment using plastic via cellphones that concluded with this sentence: “Older people still tend to like to use cash or checks… Younger people don’t want to touch a piece of paper. They want to do it all electronically.”
Wonder what the implications might be in a future where everyone uses “tokens” instead of money?
(http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/technology/29cashless.html?src=me&ref=general)
this was a great help.
now i know what to buy you for your birthday, 2 packages of new razors and 3 squash balls.
Happy (belated) birthday Dan!!!
Also, joyeux anniversaire (French) & selamat ulang tahun (Indonesian).
Hi Dan
I am Anuj, a recent PhD pass out from Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. I have just finished reading PI and honestly, this is one book that I would say I have enjoyed the most. My own research was an experimental design (with retail banking customers as subjects) and I could relate to the researcher’s exciting role in all the experiments discussed in your book.
I am going to follow your research closely and will be recommending PI to my colleagues.
And belated happy birthday to you.
Shalom.
Anuj (India)
Dear Dan,
First of all – happy birthday!
Second – I just finished reading the book, in Hebrew, and I have some questioned to ask you but I prefer not via the blog. Can you give me alternate way? email?
Thanks
Yaacov Sapir
Tzafarya, Israel
Hi, Dan, and happy be-lated B-day!
Love the book.
We are the first member of a prominent media group to launch content in new digital forms. Want to come out and play with pricing? Please contact me if intrigued…
Cindy
SF Bay Area, California
Marketing Director
Of course, happy birthday, and I greatly enjoyed your book.
Do you not also feel the pain of the landfill when you throw something away? Considering the materials and energy used to make an object that is destined for the trash after a few uses, is it possible to do something rational with an irrational object?
David
Austin, Texas
Funny and true. I do the same, but mostly motivated by a noncompetitive and individualistic temperament. So, unless a new technology has reached third generation, I remain watchful but uncommitted.
I will spend for high quality and beauty and retain until the thing or service becomes unsatisfying, either emotionally or in usefulness.
Ruthless discarding and culling keeps life simple and easy to order and prioritize. This also aids in evaluating new consumer offerings and buying decisions in a number of ways.
I will look for your book! Just moved to Durham and have contacts in Fuqua and Nicholas School – both of which NEED your work!
Having long suffered from the same distress of the “shaving dilemma” a sudden burst of divine inspiration hit me as I was shopping for my new razors at WalMart … right next to the myriad display of razors was a Braun Electric shaver on sale for $12.95. I researched Braun and suitably impressed I went back to purchase the electric razor. It worked … but soon broke. I needled myself to buy the next level up which was $40. it took days to make the decision, but I finally relented. To this day, I shave every day AT MY DESK and never have a bad beard day and don’t have to buy any more razors … no more cuts, no more guilt, no more anguish.
Happy belated birthday! It would have been on time, but I just started reading your blog. Cheers!
Happy birthday Dan,
Greetings from Tel Aviv!
I would like to tell you I’m very fond of your work and I use this knowlodge more often then not as i live and write my new materials.
Since you’ll probably won’t get all the millions of doallrs I do from royalties, I thought a nice thank you and happy bd would be nice.
Surrealistically yours,
Alon.
Great information! I’ve been looking for something like this for a while now. Thanks!
I just ran into your vision and I’m amazed and intrigued. I’m a sales manager in Perú. Mechanical engineer too. I’m just about to perform my own “irrationallity” experiment about the way quotations are done…it’s gonna be fun. Hopefully I’ll have fun results.
cheers.
에일리교수님, 생일축하합니다~
한국에서 한 팬이