1.
In essence, we tend to procrastinate due to our succumbing to the American consumerist mindset. Because we believe we have to have more, we think we have to have it now as well. As a result, we do not save up as much, and instead we spend a lot on the little stuff. That mindset has carried through to our overall lives.
2.
Self-control, according to Ariely, is when we are able to save our paychecks, resist frivolous and quick purchases, and instead hold off on instant gratification to fulfill long-term goals or make smarter decisions about what we do.
3.
Just like with arousal, procrastination happens because we wish to make quick decisions in the heat of the moment. Often, we procrastinate on longer-term goals because we are in a high emotional state and need to alleviate the needs created by that arousal as quickly as possible. Therefore, we make quick impulse purchases and snap decisions.
4.
Ariely believes that the best compromise is to offer people the chance to commit to the path of action that they want to take, and create methods of accountability that will force us to not shirk from what we are trying to do. If someone wants to exercise, they make appointments with other people in advance to make sure that one lives up to their commitments.
5.
Ariely believes that pre-commitment mechanisms help with health care and consumer debt. For one, people will be more committed to using preventative medicine, which is more cost effective and more efficient for the individual (not to mention safer). Also, by committing to measures to stop us from making impulse purchases (making your debt public, freezing your credit card), you have time to think about what you are doing, and you could not spend so much on impulse purchases.
6.
The Honda dealership, in order to address the problems of procrastination, posted a huge list of "engineering intervals" where specific operations were scheduled for various mileages; someone could not forego those maintenance appointments, and they were scheduled out for all to see. This helped drivers become accountable for performing preventative maintenance on their cars, and kept people from not getting their cars serviced.
7.
Ariely believes that comprehensive physicals and tests should be made simple, and financial penalties should be levied against those who do not get them. By bundling all of our medical tests like with the Honda dealership's maintenance, our own health will be easier to follow.
8.
The government could order people to stop spending in order to keep people from going into debt. People could also be compelled to start blogs that make people accountable for what they spent and how much debt they are in. By committing to measures to stop us from making impulse purchases (making your debt public, freezing your credit card), you have time to think about what you are doing, and you could not spend so much on impulse purchases.
9.
Ariely shows email addiction as another example of us not having self-control. We cannot stop ourselves from checking our email, which distracts us from longer-term and higher-importance goals, such as paying attention while driving.
10.
Ariely's lesson from his interferon treatments is that, if a desired behavior ends up punishing you, it will be difficult to continue that behavior, despite the desired outcome by the end of that particular behavior.
Works Cited
Ariely, Dan. Predictably Irrational.
