(On reading) The Confidence Game by Maria Konnikova

Don’t Get Fooled: The Psychology of Deception And Trust

It’s a bleak world sometimes. Ponzi schemes, pyramids, exploitative prophets. You might hear a victim’s story and think: how foolish are these people? How could they be so gullible? You should be careful. The reality is there are more similarities than differences between victims and you. You may have been on the receiving end of a confidence scheme. You just don’t realize it yet.

This book follows the patterns of a confidence scheme. Each chapter features stories of victims and the grifters themselves. Each chapter explains the psychology of how con artists exploit people’s tendencies.

The Put-Up. A con artist chooses a prey. You are more likely to be targeted when you are in a weak state.
The Play. The victim is hooked. You are more likely to trust someone by feelings than logic.
The Rope. The actual persuasive pitch.
The Tale. The victim invests. You are more likely to be fooled the higher you think of yourself, or if you believe that positive things “always” happen.
The Convincer. The con artist makes it seem that everything is going according to plan.
The Breakdown. The victim starts to get suspicious.
The Send. The victim re-commits. Sunk Cost Fallacy. You’ve invested so much; it seems foolish to back out now.
The Touch. The con ends. The victim is fleeced.
The Blow-Off. The con artist leaves the victim.
The Fix. The con artist prevents police involvement. You don’t make a complaint because you have a reputation to protect; that you’re not easily fooled.

How do you resist manipulation? Know yourself well enough to ask questions. Maintain objectivity. Pay attention to details. And set limits.

Why read The Confidence Game?

You learn about your tendencies. The more highly you think of yourself, the easier it is for you to be played.

How can you use this information?

Trust but verify.

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First Published: April 26, 2019 10:32 pm

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