Are Our Decisions Really Logical?

Yesterday one of my coworkers felt my brain could use some shaking up and sent me a link to an amazing TED presentation by Dan Ariely.

Ariely makes a startling case for how subjective we are to context with the result being that our perception of “factual’ information might not really be as rock-solid as we’d like to assume. Oh, you can argue with me all day about how logical you are but with just a few simple exercises, he’ll show you how horribly, awfully misplaced your confidence is.

Besides the parlor-trick appeal of this presentation, the thing that is most fascinating to me is the idea that an understanding of this concept might be quite useful in life.

As designers pitching concepts to our clients, are we hurting or helping ourselves with the number and arrangement of the options we show?

This is a topic often discussed, and everyone has their own take on how much is too much…but when you watch the video I think like me you’ll realize that this might be a more important discussion that we realize.

If nothing else, Ariely offers a handy tip for looking your best when you’re headed out to the bars.