When Markus Dohle, the chief executive of Random House, announced at the company holiday party that each and every employee who had been with the company for a year — from top executives to their secretaries — would be receiving a $5,000 bonus, the room erupted in cheers. Dan Ariely, professor of behavioral economics at Duke University, explains the effects of bonuses like these.

When we think about who liars and cheaters are in our society, we might think of politicians, bankers or lawyers. But if you really look at your own behavior, you are probably not too far behind.

Behavioral economist Dan Ariely explores how unethical behavior works in the personal, professional, and political worlds, and he argues that irrational forces often determine whether we behave ethically or not. In The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone—Especially Ourselves Ariely shows why some things are easier to lie about; how getting caught matters less than we think; and how business practices pave the way for unethical behavior, both intentionally and unintentionally.

You’ve probably heard of Alcoholics Anonymous. Maybe you’ve heard of Narcotics Anonymous, or Gamblers Anonymous. But have you ever heard about Clutterers Anonymous? Or Online Gamers Anonymous? Probably not. For Genevieve Smith, the twelve-step program in her life was another one of these lesser-known groups: Underearners Anonymous.

The markets continued their volatile ways yesterday with stocks taking a major nose-dive. Investors went into panic-mode trying to find anything safe to put their money into. Most put their money into the U.S. government's debt, but uncertainty remains. With so many factors affecting the global markets, how do we decide how investors will react and influence the markets?

Behavioral economist Dan Ariely talks about the study “Building a Better America—One Wealth Quintile at a Time,” conducted together with Harvard Business School professor Michael Norton, and what it reveals about Americans’ ideas about the distribution of wealth in this country.

Behavioral economist Dan Ariely talks about the study “Building a Better America—One Wealth Quintile at a Time,” conducted together with Harvard Business School professor Michael Norton, and what it reveals about Americans’ ideas about the distribution of wealth in this country.

Dan Ariely, behavioral economist at Duke University and author of The Upside of Irrationality, takes a look at the so-called 99ers -- the segment of the population that has been unemployed for over ninety-nine weeks, at which point their unemployment benefits end. What's next for them?

Dan Ariely uses behavioral economics to explain how human irrationality affects life, business, and public policy. In The Upside of Irrationality, he describes such idiosyncrasies as the IKEA effect and the Baby Jessica effect, and talks about what behavioral patterns can improve how we love, live, work, innovate, manage, and govern. 

President Obama was on Wall Street yesterday pushing for stronger oversight of the financial industry, which he set forth as the best way to prevent another massive financial collapse.

"The only people who ought to fear the kind of oversight and transparency that we're proposing are those whose conduct will fail this scrutiny," Obama said during a speech at Cooper Union.

Main Street may be fed up with Wall Street's apparent gluttony, but banks are once again awarding huge bonuses. The nation's biggest banks, including Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, are expected to pay some employees year-end bonuses reaching into eight-digit sums.  These staggering amounts may irritate the American public, which is still feeling the effects of the recession... but does the public's ire matter? We speak with Eric Dash, who reported on this for The New York Times, and Dan Ariely, professor of behavioral economics at Duke University and author of “Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions.”

Poor study habits, too much TV or goofing off are usually cited as reasons students get bad grades. But the state of Texas has a different idea for why some students are underperforming – poor teaching – and state officials came up with a plan to look into it. Under a proposed new rating system, Texas schools that train teachers will be held accountable for their graduates' effectiveness on the jobs. That means bad grades may point to a bad teacher's teacher and not the student's bad habits.

We talk to education reporter Ericka Mellon, who reported on the program for The Houston Chronicle, and Dan Ariely, professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University.

The Senate voted 90 to 5 in favor of putting new restrictions on the credit card industry. In an effort to protect consumers’ rights, the legislation would put an end to some of the practices that have pushed so many Americans into an unprecedented amount of debt. (Today, credit and charge card debt is close to $1 trillion.) For a look at how the new restrictions may affect we got here and what the credit card industry has done to perpetuate this kind of debt The Takeaway is joined by Dan Ariely. He is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University. His updated and expanded version of Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions is in stores now.

To assess President Obama’s first 100 days, we’re going to the experts—the men and women who thought long and hard about his qualifications: the voters. We’re checking back in with the folks who joined us throughout the election season for a performance review on the man they did—and didn't— cast a ballot for.

Also joining the conversation is our friend, behavioral economist Dan Ariely. Ariely will talk us through what the next 100 days should entail.

It's Tax Day! In these challenging economic times, and in the wake of massive bank bailouts and several of Obama's cabinet nominees who took tax missteps, people may be fishing for an excuse not to pay all of their taxes. For a primer on what motivates us to cheat—and what keeps us honest—we are joined by behavioral economist Dan Ariely. He is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University and author of Predictably Irrational.

For more Tax Day drama, check out our Producer's Note on the Battle of the Tax Day Tea Parties.

Investor Warren Buffett’s financial wizardry is a mix of shrewd analysis and a steely self-control, which keeps his instincts in check when panic claims Wall Street. But when the numbers indicate an uptick in his weight, the Oracle of Omaha cashes in his mid-western pragmatism for some wacky weight management ways. Behavioral Economist Dan Ariely says that Warren Buffett’s weight loss program offers an object lesson in self-control. He joins us from Duke University where he is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics. He is also the author of Predictably Irrational.

AIG's bonus payments of $165 million to executives made no one happy. Well, the executives probably didn't mind them. From Ben Bernanke to Lawrence Summers, we're all mad at these guys. But what do we do next? How do we navigate the rule of law versus operating with the knowledge that we're compensating people for bad decisions? For more, The Takeaway talks to our friend Dan Ariely. Dan is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University and author of Predictably Irrational.



Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke discusses AIG.

In the last few weeks we’ve witnessed some high-profile duplicity: From Bernie Madoff’s masterminding of a $65 billion swindle or the tax lapses of the Obama cabinet nominees (Daschle, we're looking at you). But high stakes cheating is actually not nearly as common or collectively damaging as the petty crimes of dishonesty that most of us perpetuate daily. Joining us to talk about the human nature of cheating and the consequences of overlooking the common charlatan is Dan Ariely. Dan Ariely is James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University and author of Predictably Irrational.

Watch master poker cheats at work in the video below.

Today nearly 14 percent of Americans are underemployed. This is proving to be a challenge for beleaguered bosses and disgruntled employees struggling to keep morale up in the workplace. For those who are despairing, fear not. The ideal that IKEA holds forth in the form of those little flat wrenches and a lot of elbow grease, could prove to have some answers for business leaders, policymakers and everyday workers. It turns out what is true for the success of IKEA—the sense of accomplishment many experience in assembling IKEA’s housewares—could have broader implications. Joining us to discuss a phenomenon called “The IKEA Effect" is Dan Ariely, the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University and author of Predictably Irrational.

When it comes to Super Bowl Sunday, who turned out the best commercial is almost as newsworthy as who won the game. This year companies forked out a record $200 million for a slice of the Super Bowl advertising pie. With the economy in shambles, consumer confidence at a 30-year low and the GDP shrinking at an alarming rate, these ads need to get a serious bang for their buck. To assess if this year’s batch of commercials did what they needed to do to motivate reluctant consumers, we turn to Behavioral Economist Dan Ariely. He is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University and author of Predictably Irrational.

Missed the ads? Watch some highlights here:
• Drink Sobe
• Drink Bud Light
• Buy an Audi
• Go to Cars.com
• Drink Pepsi
• Drink Coke
• Use H&R Block
• Get a job on Careerbuilder.com
• Freak yourself out with Etrade.com