Dan Ariely: Why we think it's OK to cheat and steal (sometimes)

http://www.ted.com Behavioral economist Dan Ariely studies the bugs in our moral code: the hidden reasons we think it's OK to cheat or steal (sometimes). Clever studies help make his point that we're predictably irrational -- and can be influenced in ways we can't grasp.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Watch the Top 10 TEDTalks on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/top10

• Category

  Science & Technology

[PuffTheMagicHobo]

Never knew Asia was country.

[rennlc]

What I'm learning from the comments is you can't make a profound discovery about a mechanic of the human brain and expect people to sit on their hands when it comes to nitpicking what amounts to basically a single grammatical error.

[Slim Ady]

And still, I bet you do it from time to time...especially for minor problems.

[Roger Dean Miller]

What do you mean, WE, white man? I don't think it's OK to cheat!

[Tawanda Shonhiwa]

Good stuff!!

[Srishty Dhawan]

very interesting talk!

[Triipticz]

I think he meant Asian countries.

[Joseph Stern]

Great talk. Professor Ariely is a really special person.

[Joseph Stern]

Are you really comparing third degree burns over three quarters of his body to your eyebrows being waxed?

[Joseph Stern]

The skin of his face was mostly burned off in a fire when he was a teenager. I'm sure he uses makeup to try to look as normal as possible, but it's never going to be perfect.

[Nicholas Shamsfard]

6:30 - You'll thank me.