Episode Details

Dan Ariely: Payoff

Dan Ariely is the James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Duke University and a founding member of the Center for Advanced Hindsight. His books include Irrationally Yours, Predictably Irrational, The Upside of Irrationality, The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty, and his most recent book, Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations.

Key Points

• The things that motivate us are about accomplishment and achievement, not day-to-day happiness.
• Most people realize that they themselves are not truly motivated by money, but they still assume other people are completely motivated by it.
• Figure out a way to pay people that adds to the development of a long-term relationship, not a short-term transactional one.
• It is important to find a way to connect people’s jobs to the final outcome of their work, because many people don’t feel connected to their organization’s main purpose.

Resources Mentioned

• Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations* by Dan Ariely
• Predictably Irrational* by Dan Ariely
• Drive* by Daniel Pink
• Dan Ariely’s website

Book Notes

Download my highlights from Payoff in PDF format (free membership required).

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