Shankar Vedantam Books

From The New York Times best-selling author and host of Hidden Brain comes a counterintuitive, thought-provoking exploration of deception's role in human success.

Exploring the concept of the hidden brain, this book delves into the subconscious influences that shape our decisions and behaviors. It reveals how this inner voice affects our feelings toward others, our voting choices, and even our perceptions of fairness in the workplace. The hidden brain plays a crucial role in both positive actions, like altruism, and negative outcomes, such as mob mentality or extremist behavior. Through this lens, the book examines the powerful, often unnoticed forces guiding our lives.

From the New York Times best-selling author and host of Hidden Brain comes a thought-provoking look at the role of self-deception in human flourishing. Self-deception does terrible harm to us, to our communities, and to the planet. But if it is so bad for us, why is it ubiquitous? In Useful Delusions, Shankar Vedantam and Bill Mesler argue that, paradoxically, self-deception can also play a vital role in our success and well-being. The lies we tell ourselves sustain our daily interactions with friends, lovers, and coworkers. They can explain why some people live longer than others, why some couples remain in love and others don’t, why some nations hold together while others splinter. Filled with powerful personal stories and drawing on new insights in psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy, Useful Delusions offers a fascinating tour of what it really means to be human.