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I'm Rufus Grisco, and this is the next big idea.

We've got eight books left in our countdown of last year's most popular book bites.

We're talking about illuminating, surprising, life-changing, world-altering books.

And today, at number eight, we have useful delusions, the power and paradox of the self-deceiving

brain by Sean Carvedantum. We tell ourselves lies in order to live. We believe our marriages will

last, even though we know half of them end in divorce. We trick ourselves into thinking our children

are extraordinary, because if we saw them for who they really are, average disobedience,

smelly, the body blows a parenting would be more than we could bear. But here's the thing,

these wide-eyed delusions aren't bad for us. In useful delusions, Sean Car says that the

occasional self-deception can actually contribute to your overall well-being. It turns out lying to

yourself as part of being a well-adjusted human. Hello, I'm Sean Carvedantum. I'm the author of

useful delusions, the power and paradox of the self-deceiving brain. You might also know me as the

host of the Hidden Brain podcast in Radio Show. And previously, I have been NPR's social science

correspondent and a reporter and columnist with a Washington Post. I'm also the author of the

nonfiction book The Hidden Brain, which is about the world of the unconscious mind. I'm going to

share five key insights from useful delusions. Here's insight number one. Self-deception can sometimes

be good for you. Now, this is a very surprising and counterintuitive argument, and I came to it

somewhat surprisingly. It was through a story that I was reporting for the public radio show This

American Life about a very unusual scam that unfolded in the United States over a period of several

...