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A
Accessory Transit Company, 154
acknowledging workers, 74–76, 80
acronyms, 120
adaptation, 157–90
assortative mating and, 191–212; see also assortative mating
focusing attention on changes and, 159–60
hedonic, 160–84; see also hedonic adaptation
nineteenth-century experiments on, 157–58
to pain, 160–67
physical, 157–60, 161n
sensory perception and, 158–60
Aesop, 198–99
agriculture, obesity and technological developments in, 8
AIDS, 250, 251
airlines, customer service problems of, 142–43
alienation of labor, 79–80
American Cancer Society (ACS), 241–42, 249–50, 254
Andrade, Eduardo, 262, 265, 267–68, 299
anger, acting on, 257
author��s anecdote of, 258–61
driving and, 261
ultimatum game and, 268, 269–70, 273, 274, 276
animals:
empathy for suffering of, 249
generalizing about human behavior from studies on, 63
working for food preferred by, 59–63
annoying experiences:
breaking up, 177–79, 180
decisions far into future affected by, 262–64
annuities, 234
anterior insula, 266–67
anticipatory anxiety, 45
Anzio, Italy, battle of (1944), 167
apathy toward large tragedies, 238–39
drop-in-the-bucket effect and, 244–45, 252, 254–55
statistical condition and, 238–41, 242, 246, 247–49, 252–53
apologies, 149–51
for medical errors, 152
Apple, 120n
battery replacement issue and, 141–42
art, homemade, 89–90
Asian tsunami, 250, 251
assembly line, 78–79
assortative mating, 191–212
altering aesthetic perception and (sour grapes theory), 198–99, 200, 201, 203
author’s injuries and, 191–96, 210–11
dinner party game and, 198
failure to adapt and, 200–201, 203–5
gender differences and, 209, 211
HOT or NOT study and, 201–5, 208, 211
reconsidering rank of attributes and, 199–200, 201, 205–10
speed-dating experiment and, 205–10
Atchison, Shane, 140–41, 146
attachment:
to one’s own ideas, see Not-Invented-Here (NIH) bias
to self-made goods, see IKEA effect
attractiveness, assortative mating and, 191–212
see also assortative mating
auctions, first-price vs. second-price, 98–99
Audi customer service, author’s experience with, 131–36, 137, 149, 153–54
experimental situation analogous to, 135–39
fictional case study for Harvard Business Review based on, 147–49
B
bailout, public outrage felt in response to, 128–31
baking mixes, instant, 85–87
bankers:
author’s presentation of research findings to, 107–9, 121
bonus experiments and, 38–41, 51
Frank’s address to, 41
public outrage in response to bailout and, 128–31
bankruptcy, 129, 130
Barkan, Racheli, 39, 109–10, 299
basketball, clutch players in, 39–41
beauty:
assortative mating and, 196–212; see also assortative mating
general agreement on standard of, 203
Becker-DeGroot-Marschak procedure, 91
Beecher, Henry, 167
behavioral economics:
goal of, 9–10
human rationality not assumed in, 6–7
revenge as metaphor for, 124n
Betty Crocker, 87
Bible, Gideon’s conversation with God in, 288–89
blindness, adaptation to, 172–74
blogging, 65
Blunder (Shore), 117
boiling-frog experiment, 157–58
bonuses, 17–52
bank executives’ responses to research on, 37–39
clutch abilities and, 39–41
for cognitive vs. mechanical tasks, 33–36, 40–41
creativity improvements and, 47–48
experiments testing effectiveness of, 21–36, 44–46
Frank’s remarks on, 41
intuitions about, 36–37
inverse-U relationship between performance and, 20–21, 47
loss aversion and, 32–33
optimizing efficacy of, 51–52
public rage over, 21
rational economists’ view of, 36–37
social pressure and, 44–46
surgery situation and, 48–49
viewed as standard part of compensation, 33
in wake of financial meltdown of 2008, 131
brain:
judgments about experiences and, 228–29
punishment and, 126
breaks, in pleasant vs. painful experiences, 177–81
Brickman, Philip, 170
business, experimental approach to, 292–93
C
cake mixes, instant, 85–87
California, moving to, 176
Call, Josep, 127
cancer, American Cancer Society fundraising and, 241–42, 249–50, 254
canoeing, romantic relationships and, 278–79
cars, 215–16
designing one’s own, 88, 89
division of labor in manufacture of, 78–79
in early days of automotive industry, 94
hedonic treadmill and, 175
see also driving
cell phones, 7
in experiments on customer revenge, 135–39, 145–46, 150–51
see also texting
CEOs, very high salaries and bonuses paid to, 21
Chance, Zoë, 220, 300
changes:
ability to focus attention on, 159–60
decisions about life’s path and, 287
in future, foreseeing adaptation to, 160, 171–74
status quo bias and, 285, 286
in workers’ pay, job satisfaction and, 169–70
charities:
American Cancer Society (ACS), 241–42, 249–50, 254
calculating vs. emotional priming and, 246–48
emotional appeals and, 240–42, 248–50, 253–54, 256
identifiable victim effect and, 239–42, 248, 256
charities (cont.)
mismatching of money and need and, 250–51
motivating people to take action and, 252–56
Chat Circles, 225
cheating, 76
childbirth, pain of, 168, 169n
children:
in growing and preparing of food, 121
parents’ overvaluation of, 97–98
chimpanzees, sense of fairness in, 127
chores, taking breaks in, 177–79, 180
civil liberties, erosion of, 158
Clark, Andrew, 169
climate change, 251–52
closeness, empathy and, 243, 245, 254
clutch abilities, 39–41
CNN, 238
Coates, Dan, 170
cockroaches, social pressure in, 45–46
commercial breaks, enjoyment of television and, 181n
comparisons, hedonic adaptation and, 189
compensation, 47
changes in, job satisfaction and, 169–70
see also bonuses
completion:
employees’ sense of, 77, 79–80
Loewenstein’s analysis of mountaineering and, 80–81
computers, 233
consumer purchases, 185–88
happiness derived from transient experiences vs., 187–88
hedonic treadmill and, 175
placing limits on, 186–87
reducing, 185–86
spacing of, 185, 186
contrafreeloading, 60–63
Jensen’s study of, 60–62, 63
standard economic view at odds with, 62–63
Converse, 95
cooking:
children’s involvement in, 121
enjoyment factor and, 62n, 105–6
semi-preprepared food and, 85–88
CO2 emissions, 251–52
counting strategies, 282–83
Count of Monte Cristo, The (Dumas), 123
creation, pride of:
ideas and, see Not-Invented-Here (NIH) bias
self-made goods and, see IKEA effect
creativity, bonuses and improvements in, 47–48
Csíkszentmihályi, Mihály, 49
cultures, organizational:
acronyms and, 120
Not-Invented-Here bias and, 119–21
customer revenge, 131–51
against airlines, 142–43
apologies and, 149–51, 152
author’s experience with Audi customer service and, 131–36, 137, 147–49, 153–54
distinction between agents and principals and, 144–47
Farmer and Shane’s “Yours Is a Very Bad Hotel” and, 140–41, 146
fictional case study for Harvard Business Review on, 147–49
increase in, 143
Neistat brothers’ video on Apple’s customer service and, 141–42
passage of time and, 151
phone call interruption experiments on, 135–39, 145–46, 150–51
customization, 94–96
of cars, 88, 89, 94
effort expended in, 89, 95–96
overvaluation despite removing possibility of, 96
of shoes, 95, 96
D
Dallaire, Roméo, 255
Darfur, 238, 253
Dart Ball game, 23, 34
Darwin, Charles, 157
dating, 191–235
market failures in, 213–15, 216–17, 220–21, 230–32, 233–35
playing hard to get and, 104
standard practice of, 224–25, 227–28
yentas (matchmakers) and, 213
see also assortative mating; online dating; speed dating
decision making:
author’s medical care and, 284–88
cooling off before, 257, 279
emotions and, 261–77
gender differences and, 274–76
irreversible decisions and, 285, 286
rationalization of choices in, 287
from rational perspective, 5–6
short-term, long-term decisions affected by, 264–65, 270–74, 276–77
stability of strategies for, 261–65; see also self-herding
ultimatum game and, 265–70, 275–76
dentistry, adaptation to pain and, 161–62
design, taking people’s physical limitations into account in, 230–32
destroying work in front of workers, 74–76
Dichter, Ernest, 86
disease:
adaptation to pain and, 165, 167
preventative health care and, 251, 256
“survivor” rhetoric and, 241–42
Disney, 154
distraction, performance-based incentives and, 30, 36
division of labor, 77–80
IT infrastructure and, 77, 79–80
Marx’s alienation notion and, 79
Smith’s observations on, 77–78
divorce, foreseeing outcome of, 173
Dodson, John, 18–20, 22, 31, 47
do-it-yourself projects, see IKEA effect
Donath, Judith, 225
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor, 157
Doubletree Club, Houston, 140–41, 146
dreams, author’s self-image in, 182–83
DreamWorks SKG, 154
driving:
momentary anger during, 261
safety precautions and, 6–7
texting during, 6, 7, 8
see also cars
drop-in-the-bucket effect, 244–45, 252, 254–55
Dumas, Alexandre, 123
E
Eastwick, Paul, 172–73
Edison, Thomas, 117–19, 122
effort:
increase in value related to, 89, 90, 95–96, 105–6; see also IKEA effect
joy derived from activity and, 71–72
meaningful work conditions and, 72
ownership of ideas and, 114–16
see also labor
egg theory, 86–88
Eisner, Michael, 154
electric chair, 119
electricity, alternating current (AC) vs. direct current (DC), 117–19
emotional cascades, 265–78
gender differences and, 274–76
romantic relationships and, 277–78
ultimatum game and, 265–76
emotional priming:
empathy for plight of others and, 246–48
ultimatum game and, 268–70
emotions, 43, 237–79
appeals to, willingness to help others and, 240–42, 248–50, 253–54, 256
decision making and, 261–77; see also decision making
in past, humans’ poor memory of, 264
transience of, 257, 261, 270
see also empathy; negative feelings, acting on
empathy:
animals’ suffering and, 249, 252
apathy toward statistical victims and, 238–41, 242, 246, 247–49, 252–53
Baby Jessica saga and, 237–38
calculating vs. emotional priming and, 246–48
clear moral principles and, 255
closeness and, 243, 245, 254
drop-in-the-bucket effect and, 244–45, 252, 254–55
emotional appeals and, 240���42, 248–50, 253–54, 256
global warming and, 251–52
identifiable victim effect and, 239–42, 248, 256
overcoming barriers to, 252–56
rules to guide our behavior and, 254–55
thought experiment of drowning girl and, 242–43, 245
toward one person vs. many in need, 237–56
vividness and, 24, 243n, 244, 245
endowment effect, 285, 286
Enron, 216
evolution, mismatch between speed of technological development and, 8–9
experiments, 10–11, 288–95
business or public policy and, 292–94, 295
of Gideon, 288–89
medical practice and, 289–92
rational economists’ criticisms of, 49–51
see also specific topics
Exxon Valdez oil spill, 249
F
fairness, sense of:
in chimpanzees, 127
decision making and, 266–67; see also ultimatum game
gender differences and, 275–76
Fallows, James, 158
Farmer, Tom, 140–41, 146, 148–49
FedEx, 108–9
feedback, about work, 74–76
Feeks, John, 118–19
Fehr, Ernst, 125–26
financial incentives:
meaning of labor and, 72–73, 76
see also bonuses
financial markets, safety measures for, 7
financial meltdown of 2008, 7, 21, 216
chronology of events in, 129–30
desire for revenge in wake of, 128–31
lack of experimental approach to, 293
outraged public reaction to bailout in, 128–29, 130
Finkel, Eli, 172–73
First Knight, 50
fixation, pride in creation and ownership and, 89, 122
food:
animals’ preference for working for, 59–63
semi-preprepared, 85–88
shortages of, identifiable victim effect and, 239–41
see also cooking
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 292
Ford, Henry, 78–79, 94
Forgea (white terrier), 249
Fox, Michael J., 254
“Fox and the Grapes, The” (Aesop), 198–99
Frank, Barney, 41
Frankl, Viktor, 45
free food, animals’ preference for working for food vs., 60–62
Frenk, Hanan, 161–65, 300
Friends, ultimatum game and, 269, 270–71, 272
frog experiment, 157–58
Frost, Jeana, 219–20, 229, 300
Fryer, Bronwyn, 148
furniture, do-it-yourself, 83–84, 96, 105, 106
future, foreseeing adaptation to changes in, 160, 171–74
G
gardening:
children growing food and, 121
enjoyment factor and, 105–6
gender differences:
assortative mating and, 209, 211
decision making and, 274–76
pain threshold and tolerance and, 168–69
Gideon, 288–89
global warming, 158, 251–52
Gneezy, Ayelet, 135, 144–45, 150, 300–301
Gneezy, Uri, 21, 44, 301
Gore, Al, 158, 252
government policies, experimental approach to, 292–94, 295
H
happiness:
comparisons to other people and, 189
consumer purchases and, 175, 185–88
inaccurate predictions about, 170–71
return to baseline of, 170
transient vs. constant experiences and, 187–88
Harvard Business Review (HBR), 147–49
health care, see medical care
hedonic adaptation, 160–84
to annoying experiences, 177–79, 180
author’s personal history and, 181–84, 189
blindness and, 172–74
breaking up experiences and, 177–81
changes in workers’ pay and, 169–70
comparisons to other people and, 189
consumer purchases and, 175, 185–88
extending pleasurable experiences and, 176–78, 179–81, 185, 186
in future, foreseeing of, 160, 171–74
happiness baseline and, 170
life-altering injuries and, 171–72, 174
moving to California and, 176
new houses and, 168–69
pain and, 160–67
romantic breakups and, 172–73
to transient vs. constant experiences, 187–88
using our understanding of, 176–81, 184–90
hedonic disruptions, 177–81
hedonic treadmill, 175
Heingartner, Alexander, 45–46
Henry, O., 98
herding, 262
see also self-herding
Herman, Edward, 45–46
Hippocrates, 82
Hogerty, Megan, 81
homeostatic mechanisms, 81
Hong, James, 201, 203
HOT or NOT study, 201–5, 208
gender differences in, 209, 211
Meet Me feature and, 204–5, 208, 209
humor, sense of, 199, 200, 207, 208, 228
Hurricane Katrina, 250, 251
I
ideas:
attachment to, see Not-Invented-Here (NIH) bias
idiosyncratic fit and, 111–12
identifiable victim effect, 239–42, 248, 256
American Cancer Society and, 241–42
identity, connection between work and, 53–55, 79
idiosyncratic fit, ideas and, 111–12
ignoring workers, 74–76
IKEA, 83–84, 106
IKEA effect, 83–106
author’s creations in rehabilitation center and, 100–101
completion of project and, 101–4, 105
do-it-yourself furniture and, 83–84, 96, 106
effort expended and, 89, 90, 95–96, 105–6
four principles in, 104–5
and lack of awareness of overvaluation, 99
Legos experiment and, 96, 97
Local Motors cars and, 88, 89
Not-Invented-Here (NIH) bias and, 109–10, 121
origami experiments and, 91–94, 97, 98–99, 102–4
parents’ overvaluation of their children and, 97–98
practical implications of, 121–22
relaxation notion and, 105–6
removal of individual customization and, 96
semi-preprepared food and, 85–88
shoe design and, 95, 96
immediate gratification, 5
Inconvenient Truth, An, 252
initiation into social groups, 89
injuries:
association of pain with getting better after, 166–67
author’s dating prospects and, 191–96, 210–11
author’s decisions about his medical care and, 284–88
author’s personal history related to, 1–4, 13, 107, 160–62, 166–67, 181–84, 189, 191–96, 210–11, 281–88
battlefield vs. civilian, 167
foreseeing future after, 160
life-altering, adaptation to, 160, 171–72, 174
pain thresholds and tolerance related to severity of, 161–65
Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany, 126–27
insurance products, 233–34
interruptions:
in pleasant vs. painful experiences, 177–81
TV commercials and, 181n
see also phone call interruption experiments
intuitions:
bonuses and, 36–37
received medical wisdom and, 289–92
romantic, 172–73
testing of, 10n, 288–95
inverse-U relationship, defined, 19
iPods and iPhones, battery replacement in, 141–42
irrationality:
summary of findings on, 288
upside as well as downside of, 11–12, 294
irreversible decisions, 285, 286
IT infrastructure, division and meaning of labor and, 77, 79–80
J
Janoff-Bulman, Ronnie, 170
Jensen, Glen, 60–62, 63
Jensen, Keith, 127
Jewish tradition, 254–55
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, 152
Joyless Economy, The (Scitovsky), 188
justice, see fairness, sense of
K
Kahneman, Danny, 32n, 175–76
Kamenica, Emir, 66, 301
Katzenberg, Jeffrey, 154
Kemmler, William, 119
kinship, empathy and, 243
Krishnamurti, Tamar, 172–73
Krzyzewski, Mike, 39
L
labor:
connection between identity and, 53–55, 79
contrafreeloading and, 60–63
economic model of, 55, 62–63, 105
financial incentives and, see bonuses
meaning of, see meaning of labor
overvaluation resulting from, see IKEA effect
on projects without meaning, 56–57, 63–72
Labyrinth game, 23
Lee, Leonard, 132, 134, 197, 201–2, 301–2
Lee, Sandra, 87–88
leeches, medicinal use of, 290–91
Legos experiments:
on IKEA effect, 96, 97
on reducing meaningfulness of work, 66–74, 77, 80
letter-pairs experiment, 74–76, 80
life-altering events, hedonic adaptation and, 170
Life as a House, ultimatum game and, 268, 269, 270, 272, 276
light, adaptation to changes in, 159
Local Motors, Inc., 88, 89
Loewenstein, George, 21, 44, 80–81, 172–73, 197, 201–2, 239–41, 246–48, 302
long-term objectives, short-term enjoyments vs., 4–5
loss aversion, 32–33, 285, 286
lottery winners, hedonic adaptation of, 170, 171
“Love the One You’re With,” 197, 211–12
M
malaria, 250, 251
Man’s Search for Meaning (Frankl), 45
marketing, adaptation and, 158
market mechanisms, 215–16
dating and, 213–15, 216–17, 220–21, 230–32, 233–35
Marx, Karl, 79
massages, extending pleasure of, 179–80
matchmakers (yentas), 213
Mazar, Nina, 21, 30, 44, 302
McClure, Jessica (Baby Jessica), 237–38
meals, see cooking
meaning of labor, 53–82
in acknowledged, ignored, and shredded conditions, 74–76
animals’ preference for working for food and, 59–63
blogging and, 65
division of labor and, 77–80
draining work of meaning and, 55–57, 63–77
financial incentives and, 72–73, 76
joy derived from activity and, 71–72
labor-identity connection and, 53–55, 79
Legos experiment and, 66–74, 76, 80
lessons for workplace on, 80–82
letter-pairs experiment and, 74–76, 80
“meaning” vs. “Meaning” and, 64
standard economic view and, 62–63
medical care:
apologizing for errors in, 152
author’s personal history related to, 1–4, 166–67, 281–88
bonuses and, 48–49
leeches in, 290–91
long-term objectives and, 4–5
making decisions about, 284–88
practitioners’ received wisdom and, 289–92
preventative health care and, 251, 256
side effects and, 1–5
Meyvis, Tom, 177–80, 181n
Microsoft, 120n
mind-body duality, 194–96
Mochon, Daniel, 89, 90, 102, 303
Model T, 94
motivation:
labor-identity connection and, 55–57
loss aversion and, 32–33
magnitude of incentive and, 18–21
meaningless work and, 56–57, 63–76
overmotivation and, 19–20, 31, 36, 42–43, 46
social pressure and, 42–46
Yerkes and Dodson’s experiments with rats and, 18–20, 22, 31, 47
see also bonuses; meaning of labor
mountaineering, Loewenstein’s analysis of, 80–81
N
negative feelings, acting on, 257–64
author’s anecdote of, 258–61
cooling off vs., 257, 261, 279
effects far into future of, 262–64
regret for, 257
romantic relationships and, 277–78
negative feelings, anterior insula activity and, 266–67
Neistat brothers, 141–42
Nelson, Leif, 177–80, 181n
new houses, hedonic adaptation to, 168–69
New Yorker, 120
New York Times, 110, 116
9/11 terrorist attacks, 250, 251
Norton, Mike, 89, 90, 102, 220, 303
Not-Invented-Here (NIH) bias, 107–22
acronyms and, 120
Edison’s belief in superiority of DC electricity and, 117–19
effort expended and, 114–16
FedEx commercial and, 108–9
idiosyncratic fit and, 111–12
IKEA effect and, 109–10, 121
objective merits of ideas and, 111–12, 117
organizational cultures and, 119–21
ownership component of, 111–16
practical implications of, 121–22
in scientific research, 117
at Sony, 120–21
Twain’s essay and, 107–8, 116
world problems experiment and, 109–16
O
obesity epidemic, 8
older adults, speed dating for, 229
online dating, 215–35
improving mechanisms for, 224–30
learning from market failure of, 233–35
people reduced to searchable attributes in, 218–19, 221–22, 230
process of, 217–18
regular dating compared to, 224–25, 227–28
Scott’s story and, 222–24
shortcomings of, 220–21, 230–32, 233–35
studies on participants’ experiences with, 220–22
taking human limitations into account in design of, 230–32
virtual dating approach and, 225–30, 231
ways consumers can improve experience of, 232
Open Left, 128–29
Opposition, 154
origami experiments, 91–94, 97
with element of failure, 102–4
with first-price vs. second-price auctions, 98–99
outsourcing, 146
overvaluation:
of one’s own ideas, see Not-Invented-Here (NIH) bias
of self-made goods, see IKEA effect
P
Packing Quarters puzzle, 22–23
pain, 160–67
of battlefield vs. civilian injuries, 167
of disease vs. injury, 165–67
experiments on thresholds and tolerance for, 161–65
gender differences and, 168–69
paraplegics, hedonic adaptation of, 170
in future, foreseeing of, 160, 171
Parkinson’s disease, 254
past-based decision making, 262–64, 271–74
see also self-herding
Paulsen, Henry, 128
Pelosi, Nancy, 128
personal experiences, speaking about, 43
phone call interruption experiments, 135–39
agent-principal distinction and, 145–46
apology condition added to, 150–51
physicians:
apologizing of, 152
received wisdom and, 289–92
Pillsbury, 86
playing hard to get, 104
pleasurable experiences, slowing down adaptation to, 176–78, 179–81, 185, 186
pleasure, elicited by punishment, 124–26
Potok, Andrew, 172–74
Prelec, Dražen, 66, 259–60, 303
preventative health care, 251, 256
pride of creation and ownership:
ideas and, see Not-Invented-Here (NIH) bias
self-made goods and, see IKEA effect
procrastination, 1–5
long-term objectives vs. short-term enjoyments and, 4–5
medical side effects and, 1–5
rational economics and, 5–6
proximity to victim, empathy and, 243, 245
public policy, experimental approach to, 292–94, 295
public speaking, 42–43
punishment, 266
animals’ urge for, 126–27
pleasure elicited by, 124–26
R
“Ransom of Red Chief, The” (Henry), 98
rational economics, 5–6
trust game and, 125, 127
ultimatum game and, 266, 267
rationalization, 287
Recall Last Three Numbers game, 23, 34
relaxation, enjoyment derived from effort vs., 105–6
restaurants, revenge for bad service in, 144–45
retirement calculators, online, 233
revenge, 123–54
animals’ urge to punish and, 126–27
apologies and, 149–51, 152
desire for, in wake of financial meltdown of 2008, 128–31
opportunities for, in daily life, 139
outlets for feelings of, 153
as part of human nature, 123–26, 153
passage of time and, 151, 153
pleasure of punishment and, 124–26
success stories built on motivation for, 154
threat of, as effective enforcement mechanism, 124
revenge (cont.)
ultimatum game and, 275–76
weak and strong, 136–37
wise men’s warnings against, 151
see also customer revenge
risk taking, 188
Roll-up game, 24, 34
romantic relationships:
canoeing and, 278–79
emotional cascades and, 277–78
resilience to breakup of, 172–73
see also assortative mating; dating
Roosevelt, Franklin Delano, 295
Rwanda, genocide in, 238, 253, 255
S
SAP accounting software, 54, 77
SAT scores, scores on practice tests vs., 42
Schelling, Thomas, 246
Schkade, David, 175–76
Schmalensee, Dick, 259–60
Schweitzer, Albert, 151
scientific research, preference for one’s own ideas in, 117
Scitovsky, Tibor, 188
SeekaTreat, 59–60
self-herding, 262–64, 276
negative emotions as input for, 263–64
specific and general versions of, 271–74
ultimatum game and, 270–74
self-made goods, attachment to, see IKEA effect
senses, adaptive ability of, 158–60
“Sensuous Chocolate Truffles,” Sandra Lee’s recipe for, 87–88
serendipity, enjoyment heightened by, 188
“70/30 Semi-Homemade® Philosophy,” 87–88
Shapiro, Laura, 86
Shaw, Scott, 238
shoes, designing your own, 95, 96
Shore, Zachary, 117
short-term enjoyments, long-term objectives vs., 4–5
Shrek, 154
Simon game, 23, 24, 34
Sinclair, Upton, 38
Singer, Peter, 242n
Sisyphus, myth of, 69
Skinner box, 60–62
Slovic, Paul, 239–41, 246–48
Small, Deborah, 239–41, 246–48
Smith, Adam, 77–78, 79
sneakers, designing your own, 95
social contract, 128
social hierarchy, see assortative mating
social loans, 234
social pressure, 42–46
anticipatory anxiety and, 45
cockroach experiment and, 45–46
public speaking and, 42–43
“Some National Stupidities” (Twain), 107–8
Something from the Oven (Shapiro), 86
Sony, 120–21
sour grapes theory, 198–99, 200, 201, 203
speed dating:
in experiment on assortative mating and adaptation, 205–10
for older adults, 229
standard process of, 206–7
virtual dating and, 226–27
Spiller, Stephen, 109–10, 303–4
Spock-like state of mind, 231, 246, 247, 248
Stalin, Joseph, 238–39
Stanford University, 37
state of flow, 49
statistical victims, apathy toward plight of, 238–41, 242, 246, 247–49, 252–53
status quo bias, 285, 286
Stills, Stephen, 197, 211–12
stress, 38, 43, 50
bonus situations and, 31, 32–33, 36, 47, 51
“clutch” abilities and, 39–41
loss aversion and, 32–33
striatum, 126
Stringer, Sir Howard, 120
sunk cost fallacy, 287
Surowiecki, James, 120
“survivor” rhetoric, 241–42
Szent-Györgi, Albert, 248–49
T
Talmud, 255
Taylor, Frederick Winslow, 78–79
technological development:
division and meaning of labor and, 79–80
mismatch between evolution and speed of, 8–9
Teresa, Mother, 239
Tesla, Nikola, 117
texting, 7–8
while driving, 6, 7, 8
tickling oneself, 188
Tierney, John, 110
time, passage of:
hedonic adaptation and, 171–74
transience of emotions and, 257, 261, 270
vengeful feelings and, 151, 153
TiVo, 181n
Tomasello, Michael, 127
tooth drilling, adaptation to pain and, 161–62
transient experiences, happiness derived from, 187–88
trust, 127–29, 153
rebuilding of, neglected in wake of financial meltdown of 2008, 131
trust game, 125–26, 127
bailout plan from perspective of, 130
tuberculosis, 250, 251
TV commercials, 181n
Tversky, Amos, 32n
Twain, Mark, 107–8, 116, 151
U
ultimatum game, 265–77
after dissipation of original emotions, 270–71
gender differences and, 275–76
incidental emotions introduced into, 268–70
with participants in role of senders, 271–74
rational economics and, 266, 267
United Nations (UN), 255
University of Massachusetts Medical School, 152
unpredictability, enjoyment heightened by, 188
V
vacuum cleaner sounds, adaptation to, 177–79
vagueness, empathy and, 244
Vanderbilt, Cornelius, 154
Viégas, Fernanda, 225
virtual dating, 225–30, 231
explanations for success of, 227–30
speed-dating event and, 226–27
visual system, adaptive ability of, 159
vividness, empathy and, 243n, 244, 245, 254
W
Wachtel, Claire, 65
Wall Street implosion of 2008, see financial meltdown of 2008
Waxman, Henry, 128–29
Wealth of Nations, The (Smith), 77–78
Weckler, Walter, 151
Weiner, Ina, 168–69
Weisberg, Ron, 101
work, see labor
world problems experiment, 109–16
World War II, 167
writing:
blogging and, 65
deriving meaning from, 64–65
Y
yentas (matchmakers), 213
Yerkes, Robert, 18–20, 22, 31, 47
Young, Jim, 201, 203
“Yours Is a Very Bad Hotel,” 140–41, 146
Z
Zajonc, Robert, 45–46