Misbelief: What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things

"Timely... a crucial foundation for building a more empathetic and informed society." - Daniel H. Pink "An important book for those who want to understand... the increasingly complex world." - Arianna Huffington How do we distinguish between fact and fiction in a post-truth world? The rise of fake news and AI-generated deep fakes have created a crisis of trust, making it more difficult than ever to know when we are being misled. Renowned social scientist Dan Ariely explores how the concept of misbelief can lead anyone to doubt established truth and embrace conspiracy theories. Drawing upon his first-hand experience of being the subject of disinformation, Ariely investigates the psychological drivers and motives behind irrational beliefs and what we do to counter them. An urgent call-to-action, Misbelief uncovers how we can stem the tide of misbelief with an empathetic and tolerant approach and restore trust in society.