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A review by adamrbrooks
The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time by Maria Konnikova
4.0
Positive takeaways from this book: some reminders about the power of a good story and how to persuade.
Negative takeaways: I can't ever trust anyone ever again.
The negative is an exaggeration, of course. But Konnikova mentions a few times that the cons she details are just the ones that come to light. Nobody knows how many successful cons go undiscovered. She also touches on the idea that there can be a thin line between legitimate convincing and a con.
People who like "Hidden Brain" or "You Are Not So Smart" will understand that much of this comes down to cognitive bias, especially the universal thought that we are exceptional, so of course could never get conned.
Fun read. (And if you don't already listen to Slate's The Gist podcast, start doing it, because Konnikova is a frequent and amusing guest.)
Negative takeaways: I can't ever trust anyone ever again.
The negative is an exaggeration, of course. But Konnikova mentions a few times that the cons she details are just the ones that come to light. Nobody knows how many successful cons go undiscovered. She also touches on the idea that there can be a thin line between legitimate convincing and a con.
People who like "Hidden Brain" or "You Are Not So Smart" will understand that much of this comes down to cognitive bias, especially the universal thought that we are exceptional, so of course could never get conned.
Fun read. (And if you don't already listen to Slate's The Gist podcast, start doing it, because Konnikova is a frequent and amusing guest.)