Book Description

From a rational point of view, people often do things that make little or no sense. But when these actions are viewed through the lens of behavioral sciences, a new interpretation emerges. Through the filter of a four-dimensional model of human behavior, the reasons that people do what they do begin to come into focus. Building on this idea, It Makes (No) Sense offers a counterintuitive perspective and macro-rules on human judgment, decision-making, and behavior. The first section of the book, “How We Think,” explores human judgment and decision-making. This knowledge serves as the basic of understanding of how social factors, transient internal states, and physical environment elements influence human behavior. Sections two through six go on to describe the 4D Model of Human Behavior, a very effective tool for understanding, predicting, and influencing human behavior. This study gives particular attention to the drivers of human behavior beyond personality. Section seven, “An Alternative to Carrots and Sticks,” criticizes the established way of offering incentives and applying penalties in order to influence behavior. Through the careful application of knowledge from the behavioral and decision sciences, behavioral change can occur. With the journey through the behavioral sciences perspective celebrated in It Makes (No) Sense, things just might make a bit more sense.