Maria Konnikova is the author of Mastermind and The Confidence Game. She is a regular contributing writer for The New Yorker, and has written for the Atlantic, the New York Times, Slate, the New Republic, the Paris Review, the Wall Street Journal, Salon, the Boston Globe, the Scientific American MIND, WIRED, and Smithsonian. Maria graduated from Harvard University and received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Columbia University.
"Konnikova... is an insightful analyst of the dark art of the
scam."
-New York Times Book Review
"An unnerving manual for conning and getting conned."
-Washington Post
"[An] excellent study of Con Artists, stories & the human need to
believe"
-Neil Gaiman, via Twitter
"Melding pop social science and potted history, the science writer
transcends the genre of Gladwell by drilling down into situations
where our instincts lead us horribly astray - and right into the
arms of swindlers. The surreal and often codependent relationship
between grifter and griftee is disturbingly common, no matter how
sophisticated its victims think they are, from Bernie Madoff's
worldly dupes to everyone who ever cheered Lance Armstrong."
-Vulture
"A brisk, engaging overview of the ways these skilled
tricksters masterfully manipulate us to their own ends."
-Boston Globe
"Blending news accounts with first-person published
narratives, public records, and original interviews, Konnikova
dissects the techniques of some of the world's most successful con
artists. A page-turner, this book provides plenty of insight about
them and about us, their targets."
-Psychology Today
"A fascinating look at the psychology behind every hustle, from
Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme to a three-card-monte game...Ms
Konnikova tells of hucksters masquerading as doctors, royals or
moguls, all armed with a gifted imagination, a silver tongue and an
ability to size people up."
--The Economist
"Victims of cons, she
argues, aren't just the foolish and the ignorant. They're often
regular people who happen to be desperate or emotionally
compromised by their circumstances. For leaders, who largely pride
themselves on being rational, strategic thinkers, the deception
Konnikova's research warns us about begins with that very emotion:
pride....Leaders who get fooled are the ones who first manage to
fool themselves."
--Fast Company
"A thrilling psychological detective story investigating how con
artists, the supreme masterminds of malevolent
reality-manipulation, prey on our propensity for believing what we
wish were true and how this illuminates the inner workings of trust
and deception in our everyday lives."
--Maria Popova, Brain Pickings
"With meticulous research and a facility for storytelling,
Konnikova makes this intriguing topic absolutely riveting."
-Kirkus, Starred review
"Told with vigor and enthusiasm, this study of the psychology of
the con artist is riveting and cleverly told."
-Publishers Weekly, Starred review
"In the Confidence Game, Konnikova plumbs the psychology and
chemistry of why we all fall so readily for scams and cons-and why,
thanks to the "Lake Wobegon Effect" and other forces, having fallen
once, we're even more susceptible the next time. 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. But you won't think twice. You'll still succumb, because
that's how we're all wired. And here's the irony-the smarter you
think you are, the more readily you'll fall, which is why New
Yorkers are some of the easiest marks. (Clients of Bernie Madoff,
we're talking about you.) If you liked Malcolm Gladwell's
Blink, you'll love this lucid and revelatory look into our
oh-so-susceptible selves."
-Erik Larson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of
Dead Wake and bestselling author of Devil in the White
City
"The story of the con artist may be unmatched for combining human
interest with insight into human nature, and star psychology writer
Maria Konnikova explains their wiles to us with her characteristic
clarity, flair, and depth."
-Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard
University, and author of How the Mind Works and The
Sense of Style.
"In this remarkable book, Maria Konnikova shows that human beings
are hardwired to believe-often to our peril. And with a deft mix of
stories and studies, she explores what that means for how we think
and, ultimately, who we are. Deeply researched and elegantly
written, The Confidence Game will widen your eyes and sharpen your
mind."
-Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and To Sell Is
Human
"As an ambassador to AARP's Fraud Watch Network which educates its
members on protecting themselves from confidence games and scams, I
found The Confidence Game an excellent resource. The best way to
protect oneself from the confidence man is to understand the mind
and motivation of the con man."
-Frank W. Abagnale, subject of the movie, book, and Broadway
musical Catch Me If You Can
"I really love Maria Konnikova's writing. In a world of
pseudoscience-of extreme polemical thought-her calm rationality is
comforting and smart. I appreciate and believe her."
-Jon Ronson, author of So You've Been Publicly Shamed
"Maria Konnikova has written a compelling, engrossing account of
the world of the con. I stayed up far too late reading it.
Beautifully written, and filled with stories and thought-provoking
psychological research, The Confidence Game will teach you how
confidence artists operate-and how to outwit them."
-Charles Duhigg, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and author of
The Power of Habit
"What magic takes place when a smooth-talking stranger convinces
you to part with everything you have? Maria Konnikova is a superb
storyteller and her tales of conmen and their victims will blow
your mind. This is a brilliant and often unsettling book, and it
leaves me with mixed feelings-I'd like everyone to read it, but at
the same time, it scares me to think of it falling into the wrong
hands."
-Paul Bloom, Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor of Psychology,
Yale University, and author of Just Babies.
"An enthralling read about why we're all vulnerable to deception,
by one of the truly gifted social science writers of our time. This
book shook my confidence in my ability to detect fraud-and then
showed me how to improve my skills."
-Adam Grant, Wharton professor and New York Times
bestselling author of Give and Take and Originals
"Short of making cynicism your overriding philosophy, the
surest safety might be to understand the workings of the con man as
he understands you. Understand his psychology, his motivation, his
tricks, and his games. Konnikova's book promises to make life just
a little bit harder for con artists everywhere."
-The New Republic
"An unnerving manual for conning and getting
conned."
-The Washington Post
"Brilliant and enthralling. By plumbing the depths of real
stories of swindlers and their victims, and by drawing on new
research into the nature of deception, she does more than just show
in riveting detail how these cons unfold; she also reveals their
hidden psychological dimensions, and why we all may be perfect
mark."
-David Grann, author of The Lost City of Z
"In The Confidence Game, Maria Konnikova has created an enthralling
read about con men. But it's about so much more: trust, belief, and
deception at their most basic and human levels. If you think you're
above becoming an unwitting player in the confidence game, you'll
think again by the end."
-David Epstein, author of The Sports Gene
"The most thoughtful and thought-provoking book ever written on
cons, and I've not only read most of them but I've also been
conned. Marvelous and important."
-Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine, author
of Why People Believe Weird Things and The Believing
Brain
"Blending news accounts with first-person published
narratives, public records, and original interviews, Konnikova
dissects the techniques of some of the world's most successful con
artists. A page-turner, this book provides plenty of insight about
them and about us, their targets."
-Psychology Today
"A gripping examination of exactly why so many of us are such
suckers for schemes that shut down our saner instincts."-Vice
"One of the best science writers of our time examines the minds,
motives, and methods of con artists-and the people who fall for
their cons."-Forbes
"Konnikova covers wide-ranging studies in social psychology and
illustrates them with colorful stories about real-life con men and
women in action."-New York Magazine
"A deep (and entertaining) dive into the world of con
artists."-Time.com
"It turns out there's a lot to be learned about human nature. And
Konnikova...is an insightful analyst."-Economic Times
"An engaging read . . . A subtle yet powerful reminder that the con
man isn't solely a shadowy grifter but as ubiquitous and common as
the little white lies we tell our friends and family."-Los Angeles
Review of Books
"Melding pop social science and potted history, science writer
Maria Konnikova transcends the Gladwell genre by drilling down into
situations where our instincts lead us horribly astray-and into the
arms of swindlers."-New York Magazine
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