The Truth About Lies: The Illusion of Honesty and the Evolution of Deceit
- Downloads：6785
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-14 21:31:00
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Aja Raden
- ISBN：B08T6MRP6C
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
*Running Time => 9 hrs。 and 50 mins。*
Why do you believe what you believe？
Decoding how we behave， Aja Raden's 'THE TRUTH ABOUT LIES' illuminates situations where we are better off lying - to ourselves and at times to others - and why it can be a healthy psychological mechanism。
©2021 by Aja Raden （P）2021 Brilliance Publishing， Inc。， all rights reserved。
Why do you believe what you believe？
Decoding how we behave， Aja Raden's 'THE TRUTH ABOUT LIES' illuminates situations where we are better off lying - to ourselves and at times to others - and why it can be a healthy psychological mechanism。
©2021 by Aja Raden （P）2021 Brilliance Publishing， Inc。， all rights reserved。
Reviews
Jessi
，
This is an incredibly readable nonfiction book that looks at the lies people tell and why we believe them。 Raden discusses several stories that actually overlap with another book on lies that I read recently but comes at them differently。 The stories themselves are interwoven with information about why it is so easy to believe them， even when we see proof of "the truth" right in front of our own eyes。 And more startling， even when people come out and SAY that they've been lying， people will refu This is an incredibly readable nonfiction book that looks at the lies people tell and why we believe them。 Raden discusses several stories that actually overlap with another book on lies that I read recently but comes at them differently。 The stories themselves are interwoven with information about why it is so easy to believe them， even when we see proof of "the truth" right in front of our own eyes。 And more startling， even when people come out and SAY that they've been lying， people will refuse to believe it。 。。。more
Matt
，
First and foremost， a large thank you to NetGalley， Aja Raden， and St。 Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of this publication， which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review。Everyone lies！ Let’s get that out of the way before we get any further。 Aja Raden sets out to explore the world of lies that seems to have woven its way into our moral fabric， offering the reader some insight in to why we lie， how it has become commonplace， and what lies have become supposed truths over the First and foremost， a large thank you to NetGalley， Aja Raden， and St。 Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of this publication， which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review。Everyone lies！ Let’s get that out of the way before we get any further。 Aja Raden sets out to explore the world of lies that seems to have woven its way into our moral fabric， offering the reader some insight in to why we lie， how it has become commonplace， and what lies have become supposed truths over the centuries。 While she attempts to divide the types of lies into three categories， she is able to show that some lies have turned to accepted truths， though many are oblivious to the fact that will is constantly being pulled over their eyes。 With straightforward writing and insightful research， Raden provides the reader with a great exploration of how truth and lies are interconnected on so many levels。Raden uses the first part of the book to explore the world of lies and swindles that some have used to tell others。 Her example of a man travelling from Europe to ‘settle’ a territory in the Americas， only to sell tracts to unwitting people shows that some people will believe something because it is so far-fetched that it must have a grain of reality。 Raden hashes out how and why people believe these types of large-scale cons， explaining that the extravagance is too large to trick people， so it must be true。 Yet， people fall for the cons each and every time because they are hard-wired to trust in others。 Shell games， where someone is to guess the location of a pea under a shell， are also prime examples of putting trust in others。 The expectation is that one of the shells will hold the sought after pea， while in reality， a sleight of hand means that none of the shells possesses the item in the long run。 Trust and deception are intertwined here， providing the con artist the greatest advantage throughout。The book continues by exploring the large-scale world of deception of the masses through lies， deception， and guilt。 Raden uses some wonderful examples， the greatest of which is the promotion of medications of all sorts。 The reader learns of the origins of ‘snake oil salesman’ and how the masses are duped into trusting that their ailments can be cured with one item of another。 Scientific studies show the effect of placebos to the individual， debunking the need for the miracle cure if the personal inherently trusts that what they are putting in their mouths （or elsewhere） is the cure all。 This can be extrapolated to the world of televangelism， where the only path os the one used by the speaker on the television， whose needs to ‘save’ are wrapped in a pricy donation。 People fall for this because they cannot see past the wonders of salvation or healing， however dubious or backwards it may look on the outside。Raden’s final section tackles the topic of lies on the grandest scale， the con， where it is society who is the targeted victim of falsehoods。 Using platforms of media and mass information distribution， Raden shows how there are certain soapboxes that have been used to push an idea to the masses， all in the hopes of spreading a falsehood that is so vast that it seems real。 While many readers may have lived through the time where #fakenews was a daily cry， Raden explores what it means and how it works， amongst other areas of societal duping。 She also offers the reader insight into how to create a great con by insisting that lies can be used， brick by brick， to create a false truth that everyone seems to follow。 Fascinating throughout and definitely perplexing when put in those terms。I do enjoy a mix in my reading， usually to keep me on my toes and my brain sharpened to some of the non-fiction topics of the day。 Aja Raden did a masterful job presenting this piece as being one that is not only relevant， but also highly intriguing。 The psychology， sociology， and plain history that emerges from the pages of this book are not over simplified， but used effectively to keep the reader learning at every page turn。 With a strong narrative， peppered with some saltiness to lighten the mood， Raden offers a wonderfully relatable piece that will keep the rewards enthused and laughing in equal measure。 Lies have a way of pulling people in， wanting to see where they were duped and how others fell for something so simplistic （in hindsight）。 Raden does this perfectly and kept me wanting to know more。 Quite the book， sure to pique the interest of many。 My only question。。。how much of it was true？！Kudos， Madam Raden， for a great piece。 You had me hooked from the opening pages and I learned more than I thought I could on one （vast） topic。 I cannot wait to get my hands on your other book， which I hope is just as informative。Love/hate the review？ An ever-growing collection of others appears at: http://pecheyponderings。wordpress。com/A Book for All Seasons， a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www。goodreads。com/group/show/。。。 。。。more
Aja Raden
，
I， mean， thought it was pretty good。
DeAnna Knippling
，
A book about how liars use different tricks to fool our brains。The beginning of this book was a lot of fun！ The author's research into the subject was insightful， well written， and well structured。 However， as the book went on， it because more disorganized and meandering。 Still interesting， but overall the book didn't seem to back up its larger， society-level claims or come to a final conclusion other than "gosh we all lie a lot。" Which， although true， felt a bit obvious。 So a fun read on the su A book about how liars use different tricks to fool our brains。The beginning of this book was a lot of fun！ The author's research into the subject was insightful， well written， and well structured。 However， as the book went on， it because more disorganized and meandering。 Still interesting， but overall the book didn't seem to back up its larger， society-level claims or come to a final conclusion other than "gosh we all lie a lot。" Which， although true， felt a bit obvious。 So a fun read on the subject， but it didn't quite live up to its potential， given the beginning。I received an ARC copy of this book， though， so that may have been handled later。Recommended if you're interested in points where psychology， history， and crime intersect。 。。。more
Deborah
，
Extraordinarily provocative。 Aja Raden writes with stunning clarity and command; the scope of her knowledge is breathtaking; she is convincing， captivating and ridiculously funny and refreshingly irreverent， and has thoroughly tapped into the zeitgeist。 It's so brilliant and memorable that you'll want to highlight every paragraph。 This is a must-read。 Extraordinarily provocative。 Aja Raden writes with stunning clarity and command; the scope of her knowledge is breathtaking; she is convincing， captivating and ridiculously funny and refreshingly irreverent， and has thoroughly tapped into the zeitgeist。 It's so brilliant and memorable that you'll want to highlight every paragraph。 This is a must-read。 。。。more
Donna Craig
，
Thank you to Sara at St。 Martin’s Press for my copy of this book。 The Truth About Lies seeks to explain why we， as humans， fall for lies， hoaxes， and the like。 The author uses historical examples of successful lies from small （the shell game） to huge （the housing bubble） to illustrate our vulnerability。 She attempts to break down our responses to lies in psychological and sociological terms。 You may think this book sounds too serious， but the author maintains a snarky sense of humor throughout t Thank you to Sara at St。 Martin’s Press for my copy of this book。 The Truth About Lies seeks to explain why we， as humans， fall for lies， hoaxes， and the like。 The author uses historical examples of successful lies from small （the shell game） to huge （the housing bubble） to illustrate our vulnerability。 She attempts to break down our responses to lies in psychological and sociological terms。 You may think this book sounds too serious， but the author maintains a snarky sense of humor throughout the book。 The sense of humor used in the book WAS really funny。 The use of footnotes to add humorous asides to stories really did amuse me。 I’m just not sure I was able to take the author， or her subject， seriously。 In addition， frequent use of “f***” as a verb， adverb， and adjective detracted from the credibility of the book。 The inclusion of political perspective didn’t help。 An interesting topic and an easy， enjoyable writing style kept my interest。 I was also surprised by several good points （such as the point about money）。 If you like social insight that isn’t dry and boring， you may want to give this book a look。 。。。more
Lisa Konet
，
I felt some of this book was quite compelling。 I liked how to the author divided the book and then broke down segment and went in depth with each。 The author obviously cares about honesty and lies in the larger picture。 However， I really did not learn anything new or mind blowing and there was not much of a bibliography。 Seriously？！ Like 70% of the book was your own original thoughts and observations？ Plagiarism， anyone？ Maybe that is part of "the lies。"Just ok for me and still recommended for o I felt some of this book was quite compelling。 I liked how to the author divided the book and then broke down segment and went in depth with each。 The author obviously cares about honesty and lies in the larger picture。 However， I really did not learn anything new or mind blowing and there was not much of a bibliography。 Seriously？！ Like 70% of the book was your own original thoughts and observations？ Plagiarism， anyone？ Maybe that is part of "the lies。"Just ok for me and still recommended for other people into psychology and truth/lies。Thanks to Netgalley， Aja Raden and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Available: 5/11/21 。。。more
Ryan Fohl
，
I wore out a highlighter on this one。I read and listen to a ton of content covering critical thinking， skepticism， myths， and cons。 So I was concerned this book would be a lot of stuff I've already come across。 I was pleasantly surprised， repeatedly， by stories of cons and lies I had never heard of。 The writing is clear， with a light irreverent tone。 The book's structure， a chapter on each of the nine types of lies， is brilliant and makes for fun reading。 My favorite moments are when the author I wore out a highlighter on this one。I read and listen to a ton of content covering critical thinking， skepticism， myths， and cons。 So I was concerned this book would be a lot of stuff I've already come across。 I was pleasantly surprised， repeatedly， by stories of cons and lies I had never heard of。 The writing is clear， with a light irreverent tone。 The book's structure， a chapter on each of the nine types of lies， is brilliant and makes for fun reading。 My favorite moments are when the author philosophizes on the human condition。 Why we need lies。 Truth vs fact。 How we construct reality。 My only quibble would be the findings of some psychology experiments are given too much weight。 I can now better discover and avoid the lies around me， and I also have a good idea for a new con if I ever have to go to the Dark Side。This isn't just another science book。 It is more。 One I'd be happy to read again。 "Its one thing to make up a girlfriend who lives in Canada。 But who makes up Canada？""Incompetence is a powerful motive to fear the future。""You never know who is swimming naked until the tide goes out。" - Warren Buffett"The Truth about lies is that they're not only contagious-they're almost impossible to cure。""Some lies become so necessary that we not only avoid confronting them but actively work to securitize them against exposure。 The lie has become not merely too big but， in fact， too real to fail。" Things I learned: The mosquito coast is named after the Miskito Amerindians not the insect。 Soapy Smith ran a telegraph to nowhere in Alaska profitably， for a year！ The placebo effect doesn't work on Alzheimer's patients。 Without the ability to remember the past or anticipate the future， priming doesn't work。 Coca-Cola removed the cocaine from their soda because of a backlash when Black people were able to buy it。 Michelangelo gained fame as a forger。 Years before the "War of the World" radio program; England had a similar panic inducing fake broadcast about a revolution in London。 。。。more
Janet
，
Date reviewed/posted: March 11， 2021Publication date: May 11th， 2021When life for the entire galaxy and planet has turned on its end， you are continuing to #maskup and #lockdown to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #secondwave （ #thirdwave ？）is upon us， superspeed readers like me can read 300+ pages/hour， so yes， I have read the book … and many more today。I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley， the publisher and the author in exchange f Date reviewed/posted: March 11， 2021Publication date: May 11th， 2021When life for the entire galaxy and planet has turned on its end， you are continuing to #maskup and #lockdown to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #secondwave （ #thirdwave ？）is upon us， superspeed readers like me can read 300+ pages/hour， so yes， I have read the book … and many more today。I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley， the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review。 From the publisher， as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews， I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸。Why do you believe what you believe？You’ve been lied to。 Probably a lot。 We’re always stunned when we realize we’ve been deceived。 We can’t believe we were fooled: What was I thinking？ How could I have believed that？We always wonder why we believed the lie。 But have you ever wondered why you believe the truth？ People tell you the truth all the time， and you believe them; and if， at some later point， you’re confronted with evidence that the story you believed was indeed true， you never wonder why you believed it in the first place。 In this incisive and insightful taxonomy of lies and liars， New York Times bestselling author Aja Raden makes the surprising claim that maybe you should。Buttressed by history， psychology， and science， The Truth About Lies is both an eye-opening primer on con-artistry—from pyramid schemes to shell games， forgery to hoaxes—and also a telescopic view of society through the mechanics of belief: why we lie， why we believe， and how， if at all， the acts differ。 Through wild tales of cons and marks， Raden examines not only how lies actually work， but also why they work， from the evolutionary function of deception to what it reveals about our own。In her previous book， Stoned， Raden asked， “What makes a thing valuable？” In The Truth About Lies， she asks “What makes a thing real？” With cutting wit and a deft touch， Raden untangles the relationship of truth to lie， belief to faith， and deception to propaganda。The Truth About Lies will change everything you thought you knew about what you know， and whether you ever really know it。This was a fascinating read， I am not going to lie 。。。lol。 Having just finished binge-watching season 3 of "Damages" （love Glenn Close and Rose Byrne！） we know the power of lies from that season alone 。。。 never trust anyone， at least on that show！ We get lied to all the time， and this book takes it to the nth level of understanding why we lie and why we are lied to。This is not a casual read but I will recommend it to friends， family， patrons and book clubs as there are a zillion conversations that can be held as a result of reading this book， trust me。 （lol）Take this book to the beach （or your back yard， porch or balcony） and enjoy it - just wear a tonne of SPF110 as you will lose track of time as you read this。 - If we are in the 3rd or 4th wave/mutation of COVID19 by then， stay inside: no tan is worth dying for。 As always， I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I simply adore emojis （outside of their incessant use by "🙏-ed Social Influencer Millennials/#BachelorNation survivors/Tik-Tok and YouTube Millionaires/snowflakes / literally-like-overusers etc。 " on Instagram and Twitter。。。 Get a real job， people！） so let's give it 🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️ 。。。more
Sam
，
I found this book hard to follow。 There is potential and the deeper meaning is there if you dig around a little but I felt like the flow of the book was disjointed and the examples didn't always serve to support the idea presented。 I found this book hard to follow。 There is potential and the deeper meaning is there if you dig around a little but I felt like the flow of the book was disjointed and the examples didn't always serve to support the idea presented。 。。。more
Matthew J。
，
（I received a digital ARC version of this book）。A fascinating and sometimes depressing look at lies。 From biological imperatives （survival features like camouflage & mimicry） to ubiquitous pyramid schemes （like MLMs， the stock market & religion） to con jobs and forgeries， Raden looks at how we lie， why we lie， what it even means to lie and how it is an inherent element of our lives without which we would not survive， much less thrive。 Multiple stories from history up to the present explore the n （I received a digital ARC version of this book）。A fascinating and sometimes depressing look at lies。 From biological imperatives （survival features like camouflage & mimicry） to ubiquitous pyramid schemes （like MLMs， the stock market & religion） to con jobs and forgeries， Raden looks at how we lie， why we lie， what it even means to lie and how it is an inherent element of our lives without which we would not survive， much less thrive。 Multiple stories from history up to the present explore the nature of lies and truth。 She looks at how we're taken in by things， and how our ability to be taken in is the very same ability that allows us to function and carry on civilization。 She looks at how our brain works by fudging perception because it can't process everything all the time， so it just cheats， and how sleight of hand exploits that cheat。 Interesting characters， scoundrels and entrepreneurs， hucksters and heroes populate the book， many of whom deserve their own book （many of whom have their own books）。 There's lots of good stuff in here， and it will make you look at things a bit more critically。 Will you still fall for lies？ Yes。 It's how we're built。 But maybe you can avoid the most destructive。。。or try to extract yourself from the most toxic lies you're already wrapped in。 。。。more
Maureen M
，
The Truth About Lies by Aja RadenAja Raden’s book is well-timed， with election conspiracy theories still echoing across the country。 As frustrated partisans glare at each other across the divide， Raden steps in to explain how people can believe such different truths and refuse to budge despite the facts compiled to move them。 The truth is， Raden says， we can’t handle the truth。 She combines history and behavioral science to delightful effect to show us that lying is simply part of the human cond The Truth About Lies by Aja RadenAja Raden’s book is well-timed， with election conspiracy theories still echoing across the country。 As frustrated partisans glare at each other across the divide， Raden steps in to explain how people can believe such different truths and refuse to budge despite the facts compiled to move them。 The truth is， Raden says， we can’t handle the truth。 She combines history and behavioral science to delightful effect to show us that lying is simply part of the human condition。 So is believing lies -- the bigger the lie， the better。 Raden travels through time to show the patterns repeating: how Rasputin conned a desperate tsarina in the early 20th Century and how Bernie Madoff built a better Ponzi scheme a hundred years later。 No matter how much more sophisticated we get， the cons keep coming。“Whether they’re the lies we tell each other or the subtler and more complicated lies we tell ourselves， deceit and belief are two halves of one whole，” Raden says。 “Society cannot function without both。” Her study of “the evolution of deceit” covers politics， religion， business and medicine。 Jaw-dropping examples lay out the Big Lie， the Long Con and more ways to exploit our healthy default of believing what people tell us。 Yes， there will be snake oil。 The results can be funny -- Orson Welles’ Martian hoax， for example -- until they’re not。 Readers likely will think of the deadly assault on the Capitol built on false claims that the 2020 election was stolen。 This book is too new to get into that， but Raden does make a reference to President Trump and his one-time “guru” Steve Bannon to show how the rich and powerful can figure in。 It’s serious stuff， but Raden’s humor makes even the bitterest pills palatable。 Take Bitcoin， an example of a financial instrument as tempting as it is impossible to quantify。 “Sure， you can use it to buy things， in certain venues，” she says， “though the same is true of live chickens。” In Raden’s sure hands， the madness of the mortgage meltdown becomes more understandable， and art masterpieces less so。 The takeaway is: There are facts， there are lies and they are not opposites。 A lie can become your truth。 And beware， beware the conventional wisdom。 In “The Truth About Lies，” Raden joins the ranks of gifted commentators such as Dan Ariely （“Predictably Irrational”）， Malcolm Gladwell （“Talking to Strangers”） and Shankar Vedantum （“Hidden Brain”）， who help us make sense of our senseless behavior。 She lays out lots to ponder here， promising her book a long shelf life。 “When you fall for lies， as you have， as you will again， it doesn’t mean you’re stupid or there’s something wrong with you，” she reassures。 “Quite the contrary， it means that everything is working exactly the way it’s designed to。” 。。。more
Matt Kelland
，
I was given a review copy by the publisher。I will admit， I was hesitant to read this。 After the last few years of being bombarded by "fake news" and social media propaganda， the constant daily list of lies from You-Know-Who， and the growing acceptance of the "post-truth society"， I really didn't want to think about this topic。 Can't we just try being honest with each other？ Well， as it turns out， no。 We're hard-wired， almost literally from birth， to deceive each other。 The only questions are how I was given a review copy by the publisher。I will admit， I was hesitant to read this。 After the last few years of being bombarded by "fake news" and social media propaganda， the constant daily list of lies from You-Know-Who， and the growing acceptance of the "post-truth society"， I really didn't want to think about this topic。 Can't we just try being honest with each other？ Well， as it turns out， no。 We're hard-wired， almost literally from birth， to deceive each other。 The only questions are how much we're going to do it and whether we're going to get caught。 （Short answers， more than we like to admit， and， eventually， yes， but it it may not matter。）Raden delves into the different types of deceit， from the Big Lie， the Shell Game， and the Bait and Switch to the Long Con。 She goes from small-scale grifters to massive civilization-wide cons such as the value of diamonds or the mortgage market， and even religion。 She doesn't just tell stories， though， she addresses philosophical questions like what it takes for a lie to be accepted as fact， or why we refuse to accept it when we're told we've been lied to。 （And although Raden mostly stays away from contemporary politics， the implications for how we're going to rebuild our world are horrifying。）What really hooked me was the easy-going and conversational writing style。 It was fun to read， and I read most of the book in one sitting。 （Though if you're offended by f-bombs， you should probably stay clear of this - personally， I like them， because they made the writing feel authentic。） It was a great mixture of stories， psychology and philosophy， combining humor and shock with fascinating information。 If you enjoy shows like Hustle or Lupin， you'll enjoy this book。 。。。more
Whitney
，
Humans love to be lied to。 Well， we don’t like the consequences of lies， but that doesn’t seem to slow us down on stumbling into cons throughout the centuries。 Raden takes us through a laugh out loud history of the con。 And while the players may change， the outcomes stay exactly the same。Structured into nine sections， Raden explores everything from the Big Lies， such as making up a country， pyramid schemes and the 2008 financial crisis， to illusions， shell games， and counterfeit masterpieces。 （F Humans love to be lied to。 Well， we don’t like the consequences of lies， but that doesn’t seem to slow us down on stumbling into cons throughout the centuries。 Raden takes us through a laugh out loud history of the con。 And while the players may change， the outcomes stay exactly the same。Structured into nine sections， Raden explores everything from the Big Lies， such as making up a country， pyramid schemes and the 2008 financial crisis， to illusions， shell games， and counterfeit masterpieces。 （Fun fact of today， 20-30% of the art in every museum is actually counterfeit。）What takes these lessons beyond the history books is Raden’s humor and psychological grounding。 She explains how our trusting nature as humans allowed us to become the world dominating species we are today - due to collective intelligence。 She discusses biases， the need for confirmation， and even lapses of memory - all which prime us to be conned。I loved how she delved into what distinguishes a fact from truth， and how our perception isn’t as grounded as we’d want to believe。 For anyone looking to understand lying， social psychology， and a slice of human nature - you can find no better guide。 。。。more
Elaine
，
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Truth About Lies。This was a fascinating， informative （sometimes hilarious） read about dishonesty， deceit， and the illusion of honesty。Lying is essential to the human species。 We lie because we can。 We lie to survive。 We lie to deceive。 We lie to achieve。 We lie to succeed。But， why do we lie？ How do people fall for it？The author breaks it down for the readers， the psychological and behavioral and cognitive factors behind why we lie， how so many people Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Truth About Lies。This was a fascinating， informative （sometimes hilarious） read about dishonesty， deceit， and the illusion of honesty。Lying is essential to the human species。 We lie because we can。 We lie to survive。 We lie to deceive。 We lie to achieve。 We lie to succeed。But， why do we lie？ How do people fall for it？The author breaks it down for the readers， the psychological and behavioral and cognitive factors behind why we lie， how so many people are suckers and get suckered in， and why con games are an enduring part of capitalism。The writing is great; straightforward， blunt， no fancy words， some cussing which adds levity with a hint of dark humor to the topic。I highly recommend this book。 It might not make you smarter， but it might prevent you from falling for a business proposition that sounds just a tad bit too good to be true。 。。。more
Jeff
，