Although doctors pride themselves on practicing evidence-based medicine, not everything that happens in a hospital or clinic is supported by science. Do health care providers always act based on logic?
We Americans imagine that we are (usually) rational and make decisions based on analysis and thoughtful consideration. But behavioral economics suggests we are swayed by many factors that are (usually) out of our awareness and sometimes not in our best interests.
Dr. Dan Ariely got interested in irrational behavior when he himself was a patient in a burn unit. What can we learn from his painful experience?
Guest: Dan Ariely, PhD, is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University.
He is the author of Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions.
Web site: http://www.predictablyirrational.com
