The confidence game : why we fall for it... every time

by Maria Konnikova

Paper Book, 2016

Status

Available

Call number

364.16/3

Genres

General Nonfiction

Mind and Body

Politics, Government, Law and Public Policy

Nonfiction

All Topics

Publication

New York : Viking, 2016.

Description

"It's a startling and disconcerting read that should make you think twice every time a friend of a friend offers you the opportunity of a lifetime." --Erik Larson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dead Wake and bestselling author of Devil in the White City Think you can't get conned? Think again. The New York Times bestselling author of Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes explains how to spot the con before they spot you. "[An] excellent study of Con Artists, stories & the human need to believe" -Neil Gaiman, via Twitter A compelling investigation into the minds, motives, and methods of con artists--and the people who fall for their cons over and over again. While cheats and swindlers may be a dime a dozen, true conmen--the Bernie Madoffs, the Jim Bakkers, the Lance Armstrongs--are elegant, outsized personalities, artists of persuasion and exploiters of trust. How do they do it? Why are they successful? And what keeps us falling for it, over and over again? These are the questions that journalist and psychologist Maria Konnikova tackles in her mesmerizing new book. From multimillion-dollar Ponzi schemes to small-time frauds, Konnikova pulls together a selection of fascinating stories to demonstrate what all cons share in common, drawing on scientific, dramatic, and psychological perspectives. Insightful and gripping, the book brings readers into the world of the con, examining the relationship between artist and victim. The Confidence Game asks not only why we believe con artists, but also examines the very act of believing and how our sense of truth can be manipulated by those around us.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member rivkat

I liked this one better than Mastermind. Here, Konnikova uses behavioral psych (the familiarity effect, our vulnerabilty to doing a big favor once we’ve agreed to do a small one, loss aversion, etc.) interspersed with accounts of various cons, from short to long. If you’ve already read about

con artists, there’s probably nothing new here, but there are some very sad stories. Embarrassment keeps many victims silent; I’m embarrassed to think of the one time I gave money to what was obviously a scammer, who preyed on parts of my personality I wish didn’t exist. The best you can do is be aware and know when to harden your heart, I suppose.

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LibraryThing member ShadowBarbara

Excellent book on how the con game is played and how we fall for it. Lots of great research and many stories and examples.

LibraryThing member DLMorrese

Why do we fall for frauds? Why are people susceptible to being tricked? How do con artists manipulate people into doing things that from an outside perspective look clearly irrational? It all has to do with human psychology. Maria Konnikova (Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia) provides real life

examples, from shell games to religious cults, that demonstrate how confidence artists exploit their marks by manipulating basic emotions. No one is immune. Anyone can be conned. Some people more easily than others—the highly credulous, the distraught, the desperate—but none of us is impervious. Our rationality runs only so deep. We are also creatures of belief and desire, and a skilled con artist can us these to gain advantage, and some measure of control, over us. There is no sure-fire, never-fail defense, at least not one that wouldn't sacrifice our essential humanity, but knowing how con artists work and the tricks they use to manipulate their victims can offer some protection. This book might help provide that.

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LibraryThing member Zcorbain

By far one of the most powerful books I've read regarding psychology and touching on skepticism. The book is broken down into the various parts of the confidence game. In each chapter the author interweaves the topic with the real events and the psychology behind what is going on, creating a

compelling narrative while maintaining a balance between them. Some of the research she touches on, I've read elsewhere, interlocking this book with others that I've read. It provides something in the way of tools for the working to overcome the various psychological effects going on, but arming you with information, not on how to counter the confidence game, whether someone playing you, or through self-deception, but more a warning to spot how our emotions are being manipulated and to keep alert for red flags.

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LibraryThing member loraineo

I guess we've all been conned a time or two! this book is very interesting with details of many con artist and those who've been conned. Sure kept me interested and lots to think about as to why so many of us are often caught up in scams.

LibraryThing member LynnB

This book blends true stories of cons -- big and small -- with psychology and neuroscience to show what is going on in our brains when we are victims of scammers. It's hard to believe that I would fall for some of the things people in this book did, but the science is hard to argue with. I think

education, such as this book provides, is a great help in protecting ourselves.

It's a good read; the stories are amazing, the science is fascinating. Well written, very engaging.

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