"Fascinating." Financial Times

"Excellent." Guardian

"A brilliant new book." The Times

"By turns entertaining, illuminating and - when you recognise yourself in the stories it tells - mortifying." The Wall Street Journal

"Combining far-ranging scholarship with lucid, witty prose, Tavris and Aronson illuminate many of the mysteries of human behaviour - why hypocrites never see their own hypocrisy, why couples so often misremember their shared history, why many people persist in courses of action that lead straight into quicksand. A delight to read, with surprising revelations in every chapter." Elizabeth Loftus, author of Eyewitness Testimony

“This book is charming and delightful. But mainly it’s just damn smart. Armed with reams of scientific data and loads of real-world anecdotes, Tavris and Aronson explain how politicians, pundits, doctors, lawyers, psychotherapists - and, oh yes, the rest of us - come to believe that we are right and reasonable... and why we maintain that dangerous self-deception in the face of glaring evidence to the contrary. Every page sparkles with sharp insight and keen observation. Mistakes were made - but not in this book!” Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness

"Both scientifically accurate and wonderfully readable. There is no overstating the importance of the book's message: if we could recognize our blind spots and see our personal and professional behaviour more clearly, the world would be a better place." Phoebe C. Ellsworth, The Times Literary Supplement