The Confidence Game cover art

The Confidence Game

Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time

 Preview

Audible Standard 1-month free trial

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo + applicable tax after 30-day trial. Cancel Anytime
Try for $0.00
Compare plans

The Confidence Game

Written by: Maria Konnikova
Narrated by: Maria Konnikova
Try for $0.00

$8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $28.19

Buy Now for $28.19

"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. Mental Health Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships Sociology Health

You may also enjoy...
Do Hard Things cover art
Do Hard Things Written by: Steve Magness
Reframe Your Brain cover art
Reframe Your Brain Written by: Scott Adams
How Big Things Get Done cover art
How Big Things Get Done Written by: Bent Flyvbjerg, and others
The Tipping Point cover art
The Tipping Point Written by: Malcolm Gladwell
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
All stars
Most Relevant
Maria Konnikova is a great story teller and she does a great job of weaving stories of con artists with the science and psychology that underlies them. The narration is great. I hope Maria narrates all her books.

Very interesting book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
such a great collection of short examples of fraudsters. couldn't wait to keep listening.

Loved it!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The experimental evidence and applicable anecdotes make the material accessible, interesting and persuasive. Konnikova is a master storyteller.

Fascinating throughout

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Unfortunately the author of this book tries far too hard to come off as witty.

Author tries too hard

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.