History of Dan Ariely in Timeline

Dan Ariely is an Israeli-American professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University, known for his research and writings on irrationality and decision-making. He is the author of several New York Times best-selling books, including *Predictably Irrational*, exploring how people deviate from rational behavior in predictable ways. Ariely also co-produced a documentary on dishonesty and wrote an advice column for the Wall Street Journal. His work has had practical applications, leading him to co-found companies based on behavioral science insights. His research and book *Predictably Irrational* inspired the NBC television series *The Irrational*.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

April 29, 1967: Dan Ariely's Birth

On April 29, 1967, Dan Ariely, an Israeli-American professor and author, was born.

Others born on this day/year

1991: Graduation from Tel Aviv University

In 1991, Dan Ariely graduated from Tel Aviv University with a degree in psychology.

1994: Earned Master's Degree

In 1994, Dan Ariely earned a master's degree in cognitive psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

1998: Second Ph.D. at Duke University and Teaching at MIT

In 1998, Dan Ariely completed a second Ph.D. in business administration at Duke University and began teaching at MIT.

1998: Marriage to Sumedha (Sumi) Gupta

In 1998, Dan Ariely was married to Sumedha (Sumi) Gupta; they have two children.

2004: Data collection for "Ten Commandments" study

In 2004, Dan Ariely claimed that data for his "Ten Commandments" study were collected in 2004–2005 at UCLA with the assistance of Aimee Drolet Rossi. However, despite being thanked in the 2004 paper for collecting the data almost 20 years later, Rossi denies having run the study, and UCLA has issued a statement that the study did not take place there.

2004: Publication of paper by James Heyman and Ariely

In 2004, James Heyman and Dan Ariely published a paper which was later challenged in July 2021 due to uncertainty regarding the statistical tests reported and the analytic approach taken to the data.

2005: Data collection for "Ten Commandments" study

In 2005, Dan Ariely claimed that data for his "Ten Commandments" study were collected in 2004–2005 at UCLA with the assistance of Aimee Drolet Rossi. However, despite being thanked in the 2004 paper for collecting the data almost 20 years later, Rossi denies having run the study, and UCLA has issued a statement that the study did not take place there.

2006: MIT Ethics Committee Ban

In 2006, while at the MIT Media Lab, Dan Ariely conducted experiments, including administering electric shocks with a research assistant who lacked human-subject training, leading to a one-year ban from supervising data collection by MIT's ethics committee.

2008: Return to Duke University

In 2008, Dan Ariely returned to Duke University as the James B. Duke Professor of psychology and behavioral economics.

2008: Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine

In 2008, Dan Ariely, along with his co-authors, Rebecca Waber, Ziv Carmon, and Baba Shiv, was awarded an Ig Nobel Prize in medicine for their research demonstrating that "high-priced fake medicine is more effective than low-priced fake medicine".

2008: 2008 Financial Crisis

In 2011, Dan Ariely worked on the documentary The Flaw, which investigates the causes of the 2008 financial crisis, and presented scientific data on human behavior, motivation, and decision-making.

2010: Interview with NPR

In 2010, Dan Ariely told NPR in an interview that data from Delta Dental showed dentists frequently misdiagnosed cavities, leading to speculation about dentists charging more money.

2010: Criticism Regarding Reproducibility

Since 2010, some of Dan Ariely's statements and papers have faced criticism regarding their reproducibility or reliability.

2011: Work on The Flaw Documentary

In 2011, Dan Ariely worked on the documentary The Flaw, which investigates the causes of the 2008 financial crisis, and presented scientific data on human behavior.

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June 2012: Author of "Ask Ariely" in The Wall Street Journal

In June 2012, Dan Ariely began writing an advice column called "Ask Ariely" in The Wall Street Journal.

2012: Paper on Honesty Pledge

In 2012, Dan Ariely co-authored a paper with Francesca Gino, Max H. Bazerman, Nina Mazar and Lisa L Shu about the honesty pledge, which was later found to be based on falsified data and retracted in 2021.

2012: Co-founding of Timeful

In 2012, Dan Ariely co-founded Timeful with Yoav Shoham and Jacob Bank, aspiring to develop a time management app that helps people use time better and avoid procrastination.

2013: Co-founding of Irrational Labs

In 2013, Dan Ariely and Kristen Berman co-founded Irrational Labs, a consulting firm aimed at applying behavioral economics to consumer behavior and decision-making.

2014: Co-founding of Genie

In 2014, Dan Ariely co-founded the kitchen appliance company Genie with Ayelet Carasso-Stenberg and Doron Marco, which manufactures a food "replicator" that cooks freeze-dried meals in cartridges.

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2015: Appearance in (Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies

In 2015, Dan Ariely appeared in the documentary (Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies, which explores why people lie, how often they do it, and the consequences of dishonest behavior.

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2015: Contribution to Boom Bust Boom

In 2015, Dan Ariely contributed to Boom Bust Boom, a documentary about economic crashes.

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2015: Investment in and Appointment at Qapital

In 2015, Dan Ariely invested in Qapital, a personal finance app, and was appointed as its chief behavioral economist; he was later named chairman of the board.

2015: Acquisition of Timeful by Google

In 2015, the Timeful app, which was co-founded by Dan Ariely, was acquired by Google.

2015: Release of (Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies Documentary

In 2015, the documentary film (Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies was released, with Dan Ariely presenting the film and offering analysis on the psychological mechanisms that drive deceit.

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2016: Appointment as Chief Behavioral Officer at Lemonade

In 2016, Dan Ariely took on the position of chief behavioral officer at Lemonade, an insurance company that integrates aspects of behavioral economics into its insurance model.

2017: Founding of Shapa

In 2017, Dan Ariely founded Shapa, a company focused on health monitoring and behavior change.

2017: Acquisition of BEworks by Kyu

In 2017, behavioral economics consulting firm BEworks, which was co-founded by Dan Ariely, was acquired by Kyu.

2019: Appearance in The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley

In 2019, Dan Ariely appeared in The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, a documentary that tracks the rise and fall of Theranos.

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July 2021: Challenge to 2004 Paper in Psychological Science

In July 2021, the journal Psychological Science challenged a 2004 paper by James Heyman and Dan Ariely, prompted by uncertainty regarding the statistical tests reported in the article and the analytic approach taken to the data.

2021: Retraction of 2012 Paper

In 2021, a 2012 paper co-authored by Francesca Gino, Max H. Bazerman, Nina Mazar, Lisa L Shu, and Dan Ariely was discovered to be based on falsified data and was subsequently retracted.

September 2022: End of "Ask Ariely" Column in The Wall Street Journal

In September 2022, Dan Ariely's advice column, "Ask Ariely," in The Wall Street Journal came to an end.

November 2022: Hamakor Episode Questioning Ariely's Studies

In November 2022, the Israeli TV investigative show Hamakor (Channel 13) aired an episode questioning a number of Dan Ariely's studies that were not reproducible or whose reliability was dubious.

2022: Contribution to Why Like This? Lama Kacha

In 2022, Dan Ariely contributed to Why Like This? Lama Kacha, a Hebrew television series broadcast on Kan 11, explaining complex scientific concepts.

September 25, 2023: Premiere of The Irrational

On September 25, 2023, The Irrational, an NBC television series inspired by Dan Ariely's life and book Predictably Irrational, premiered.

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2023: The Irrational inspired by Ariely's Work Premiered

In 2023, the NBC television series The Irrational, inspired by Dan Ariely's life, research, and book Predictably Irrational, premiered.

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2024: Duke Investigation Conclusion

In 2024, Duke completed a three-year investigation, concluding that "data from the honesty-pledge paper had been falsified but found no evidence that Ariely used fake data knowingly".

2024: Confirmation in The Chronicle of Higher Education

In 2024, the NPR interview regarding Delta Dental was confirmed in an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

January 30, 2026: Release of Documents Regarding Ariely's Relationship with Epstein

On January 30, 2026, the United States Department of Justice released documents revealing that Dan Ariely had a longstanding relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.