May Contain Lies

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

By: Alex Edmans

Narrated by: Alex Edmands

Our lives are minefields of misinformation. It ripples through our social media feeds, our daily headlines, and the pronouncements of politicians, executives, and authors. Stories, statistics, and studies are everywhere, allowing people to find evidence to support whatever position they want. Many of these sources are flawed, yet by playing on our emotions and preying on our biases, they can gain widespread acceptance, warp our views, and distort our decisions.

In this eye-opening book, renowned economist Alex Edmans teaches us how to separate fact from fiction. Using colorful examples—from a wellness guru's tragic but fabricated backstory to the blunders that led to the Deepwater Horizon disaster to the diet that ensnared millions yet hastened its founder's death—Edmans highlights the biases that cause us to mistake statements for facts, facts for data, data for evidence, and evidence for proof.

Armed with the knowledge of what to guard against, he then provides a practical guide to combat this tide of misinformation. Going beyond simply checking the facts and explaining individual statistics, Edmans explores the relationships between statistics—the science of cause and effect—ultimately training us to think smarter, sharper, and more critically.

©2024 Alex Edmans (P)2024 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

His own bias against women

Disliked his perceived bias against women. He chose to begin his book with two recounts of examples where two different young women scammed the public and investors even though the large majority of scams are done by men.

Finding the biases that hurt us

Provides an enjoyable, thorough analysis of many biases that deceive others, and self-deceive. Enlightens, detailing specific reasons why such popularly-perceived ideas as “Power Posing”, elements in the book Why We Sleep, and some McKinsey consultations have been found erroneous, due to biases. A good book to help in critical thinking across multiple fields. Enjoyed listening to the author during daily walks over weeks, so could ponder, and digest, his presentations. As we listen to authorities from business, politics, and more, having the tools from this author should prove helpful.

A powerful lesson in skepticism

A good and easy to read guide on using statistical literacy as a shield against the misleading data we face daily, it equips readers with the tools needed to cut through the noise, challenge narratives, and avoid being misled in everyday life