To one degree or another, we all misjudge reality. Our perception--of ourselves and the world around us--is much more malleable than we realize. This self-deception influences every major aspect of our personal and social life, including relationships, sex, politics, careers, and health.

"From the New York Times-bestselling author and host of NPR's Hidden Brain comes a counter- intuitive, thought-provoking exploration of deception's role in human success. Everyone agrees that lies and self-deception can do terrible harm to our lives, to our communities, and to the planet. But in Useful Delusions, host of NPR's Hidden Brain Shankar Vedantam argues that, paradoxically, deceiving ourselves and others can also play a vital role in human...

In 1950s San Francisco, elderly garage owner Jim Ferguson prepares to retire and sell his business, but when he is offered the deal of a lifetime by record-company owner Chris Harman, Al Miller, one of Jim's mechanics who thinks that Harman is a crook, sets out to protect his mentor.