If you are a boss you might want to consider the possibilitythat paying your employees big bonuses isn't likely to improvetheir performance. Also, if your spouse or partner dumps you it mayhurt for a little while, but eventually you will get over it.

Those are among the nuggets in The Upside of Irrationality:The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home,a scholarly, yet breezily written analysis of the research on therationality of a wide range of behavior.

Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economicsat Duke University, isn't at all opposed to using logic and reasonwhen making decisions. Instead, he wants people to pay a littleless attention to their inner Mr. Spock and let their inner HomerSimpson have more influence on their actions.

Ariely contended that “irrational forces help us achieve greatthings and live well in a social structure.”

The author punctures the conventional wisdom about thecorrelation between bonuses and job performance. He presentsresearch that if you pay people too much in a lump sum it willactually distract them from doing their jobs because they willspend too much time thinking about how to spend their newfoundwealth. These bonuses can cause an interruption in what onepsychologist describes as a “state of flow,” when one is fullyconcentrating on the task at hand.

As an alternative, Ariely suggested offering employees smaller,yet more frequent bonuses or giving performance-based paymentsaveraged over an extended period, not just over the last year.

He explained that research on this and other issues has led himto believe that we behave less rationally when we try harder.

Ariely doesn't spend a great deal of time discussing politicsbut the rational-irrational divide crops up often during campaignsand policy debates.

Americans seem to have a love-hate relationship with rationalityand unflappability. During the 2008 campaign Barack Obama garneredpraise for his grace under pressure and earned the moniker “nodrama Obama.” However, those same assets angered Americans duringthe Gulf Coast oil spill when Obama was sharply rebuked-even by hispolitical allies-for his perceived calm.

Although Obama's political views have remained constant, Arielysaid he has shown his ability to adapt to changing circumstancesthroughout his life.

According to the research Ariely presents, that is fairlytypical behavior.

He described adaptation as a “novelty filter that helps us focusour limited attention on things that are changing and mighttherefore pose either opportunities or danger.”

Ariely spent considerable time discussing the psychologicaltheory of “hedonic adaptation,” which contends that an individual'soverall state of happiness doesn't shift widely for long periods oftime, despite changes in his or her condition.

In other words, the good feelings people get from a new car ornew kitchen don't last.

However, the flip side is that bad times don't last either. Youmay always remember a particularly difficult or traumatic event,Ariely writes, but “its influence will not be as vivid or asincessant as you originally thought it would.”

The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits ofDefying Logic at Work and at Home is part academic tome andpart self-help book. Ariely wants to help you help yourself butdoes so without feeling your pain.

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