May Contain Lies

May Contain Lies

How Stories, Statistics and Studies Exploit Our Biases - And What We Can Do About It

Summary

'A powerful and punchy explanation of why misinformation is a problem that affects us all - be that in finance, politics, media, business or anywhere else. Edmans offers clear ideas about how to counter this, not just in our own lives but also across society as a whole. Timely and very provocative!' - Gillian Tett, Editor-at-Large, Financial Times


'Not only brilliantly researched and written but immensely practical' - Andy Haldane, former Chief Economist at the Bank of England

'A timely book and, despite the nerdy statistical theories, is often quite funny' Harry Wallop, The Times


A ground-breaking book that reveals why our human biases affect the way we receive and interpret information, with practical suggestions for how to think more critically


* Featured in Adam Grant’s 8 New Idea Books to Start Spring *


Our lives are minefields of misinformation. Stories, statistics and studies lie to us on a daily basis. Not only this but, as Professor Alex Edmans reveals, our brains lie to us too. He argues that we need to acknowledge and understand the role that our own human biases play in interpreting and digesting the information that we consume. It's only when we do, that we can actively resist being manipulated, and make informed decisions that improve our lives.


'A passionate and dispassionate call to truth – and how to achieve it - in a world of growing disinformation' – Will Hutton, author of The State We're In

Reviews

  • A powerful and punchy explanation of why misinformation is a problem that affects us all - be that in finance, politics, media, business or anywhere else. Edmans offers clear ideas about how to counter this, not just in our own lives but also across society as a whole. Timely and very provocative!
    Gillian Tett, Editor-at-Large, Financial Times

About the author

Alex Edmans

Alex Edmans is Professor of Finance at London Business School. His TED talk 'What to Trust in a Post-Truth World' has been viewed 2 million times. He has also spoken at Davos and Google. In 2013, he was awarded tenure at The Wharton School and in 2021, was named MBA Professor of the Year by Poets and Quants. Edmans writes regularly for the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and Harvard Business Review. His first book Grow the Pie (Cambridge University Press) was a Financial Times Book of the Year.
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