Dan Ariely is an Israeli American professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University and a New York Times best-selling author. He earned two doctorates: one in cognitive psychology and the other in business administration. At 18 years old, he was involved in an accident that left nearly three-quarters of his body covered in third-degree burns. This accident prevented him from day-to-day activities, which socially isolated him. He credits this experience with fostering his interest in human behavior; while this alienation was an excruciating part of his life, he began to observe human behavior as if he were from another planet, making him wonder why humans do the things they do.

Through Predictably Irrational, Ariely hopes to help readers understand the influences over their own behavior and how they can learn from their mistakes to make better decisions. Despite studying human behavior, Ariely presents numerous personal anecdotes and stories of his own predictably irrational mistakes and his own susceptibility to these powerful forces. He also presents examples of where he learned from his mistakes and made different decisions, suggesting that anyone can learn to make more informed and rational decisions.