May Contain Lies

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

‘Alex Edmans is such a crisp, sharp salutary voice – and a great guide to the bullsh*t of the modern world’ Rory Stewart, author of Politics on the Edge

'A powerful and punchy explanation of why misinformation is a problem that affects us all' Gillian Tett, Editor-at-Large, Financial Times

A ground-breaking book that reveals why our human biases affect the way we receive and interpret information, with practical suggestions for how to think more critically

* One of Adam Grant’s 8 New Idea Books to Start Spring*
* A Financial Times Book of the Month, April 2024*
* A Next Big Idea Club Must-Read Book for May 2024*
* A Wall Street Journal recommended summer read 2024*

Our lives are minefields of misinformation. It ripples through our social media feeds, our daily headlines, and the pronouncements of politicians, business leaders, and best-selling 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, Alex Edmans, an economist and professor at London Business School, teaches us how to separate fact from fiction. Using colourful examples – from a wellness guru’s tragic but fabricated backstory, to the blunders that led to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, and 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. May Contain Lies is an essential read for anyone who wants to make better sense of the world and take better decisions.

'A passionate and dispassionate call to truth – and how to achieve it - in a world of growing disinformation' Will Hutton, The Guardian

'Not only brilliantly researched and written but immensely practical' Andy Haldane, former Chief Economist at the Bank of England

'A timely book and, despite the nerdy statistical theories, is often quite funny' Harry Wallop, The Time

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