The honest truth about dishonesty

Behavioral economist and New York Times bestselling author of The Upside of Irrationality examines in his usual unique way the contradictory forces that drive us to cheat and keep us honest. Cheating is reaching epidemic heights. The world is full of cheaters. We hear about them every day on the news from Washington to Wall Street. We see it all around us and we do it ourselves, whether it's the white lie to keep us out of trouble or that extra cookie that breaks our diet. In this book, award-winning and bestselling author Dan Ariely explores why we just can't stop cheating. He examines the forces we usually think drive us to dishonest behavior but actually don't, and how the irrational forces that we think don't matter often make a big difference in how ethical our actions are. Together these findings shed light on what spurs us to cheat as well as what keeps us honest. Dan investigates not only how dishonesty works in the professional and political world, but how we tend to navigate our daily lives by acting slightly dishonestly while still thinking of ourselves as individuals with high moral standards. It won't all be bad news though, as he offers ways for us to stick more closely to the straight and narrow. This book takes apart and examines the complex nature of cheating, and in doing so, points the way for greater honesty in ourselves and in the world.