Is lying and cheating Jewish?

No lying and cheating is not Jewish. It is universal, everyone does it a little, a few people do it a lot.

In the WSJ, to promote his new book, Dan Ariely wrote, "Why We Lie" he explains, "We like to believe that a few bad apples spoil the virtuous bunch. But research shows that everyone cheats a little—right up to the point where they lose their sense of integrity."

Ariely's research shows that nearly everyone cheats and lies if given the opportunity. In his book, The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone---Especially Ourselves Ariely explains why.

Based on the WSJ write-up, this looks like a good book.

Times: Dan Ariely suggests accept the loss and close your options

Fascinating research that concludes, "the mechanism underlying the tendency to keep doors open is a type of aversion to loss rather than a desire for flexibility."

The Advantages of Closing a Few Doors

By JOHN TIERNEY

We can always tell ourselves that it’s good to keep options open, but is it really?

The book:

"Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions." Dan Ariely. HarperCollins, 2008.

The research paper:

"Keeping Doors Open: The Effect of Unavailability on Incentives to Keep Options Viable." Jiwoong Shin, Dan Ariely. Management Science, May 2004. (PDF)

[repost from 2/09]