Most people would agree that lies and self-deception can do terrible harm to our lives, to our communities, and to the planet. But in Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain, Shankar Vedantam—host of the Hidden Brain podcast—argues that, paradoxically, deceiving ourselves and others can also play a vital role in human success and well-being.

The lies we tell each other and the lies that we tell ourselves sustain our daily interactions with friends, romantic partners, and co-workers. They explain why some people live longer than others, why some couples remain in love and others don’t, and why some nations and tribes hold together while others splinter.

Filled with powerful personal stories and drawing on new insights in psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy, Useful Delusions offers a fascinating tour of an upside-down world. Vedantam will be in conversation with David Greene, an award-winning journalist, New York Times bestselling author of Midnight in Siberia, and former host of Morning Edition and Up First on NPR.

Thanks to the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco for being our promotional partner.