Nobody's Fool

Why We Get Taken In and What We Can Do About It

By: Daniel Simons, Christopher Chabris

Narrated by: Andrew Sellon

Two New York Times-bestselling psychologists explain the science of cons—and how we can avoid them

From phishing scams to Ponzi schemes, fraudulent science to fake art, chess cheaters to crypto hucksters, and marketers to magicians, our world brims with deception. In Nobody’s Fool, psychologists Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris show us how to avoid being taken in. They describe the key habits of thinking and reasoning that serve us well most of the time but make us vulnerable—like our tendency to accept what we see, stick to our commitments, and value precision and consistency. Each chapter illustrates their new take on the science of deception, describing scams you’ve never heard of and shedding new light on some you have. Simons and Chabris provide memorable maxims and practical tools you can use to spot deception before it’s too late.

Informative, illuminating, and entertaining, Nobody’s Fool will protect us from charlatans in all their forms—and delight us along the way.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris (P)2023 Basic Books

Critic reviews

An outstanding guide to nonsense for critical readers.—Kirkus (Starred)

"This entry provides smart, succinct analyses based in solid cognitive science principles. The gullible and skeptical alike will find plenty to chew on."—Publishers Weekly

“To know if you have been deceived, you must question what you believe—but we can’t always question everything. In Nobody’s Fool, Simons and Chabris address the more difficult and intriguing question: When should you question what you believe?”—Apollo Robbins, theatrical thief and deception expert

This book is an open eyes to a daily life scams

This book is great to know and better understand how we can deal better with life situations to avoid been trapped.
Easy to read and get all the topics the author makes. Strongly recommended even better if your in your 20s

Excellent book to read

This was an excellent book to read thoroughly. Enjoyed it, and very knowledgeable.
Full of information to help from been scammed.

Informative

Helpful examples at how preconceptions can be use as opportunities for scams and abuse public trust.

Brilliant, memorable, and funny!

Dan Simons and Chris Chabris have masterfully crafted a book that explores the inner workings of human trust, intuition, credulity, and confidence. The result is stupendously insightful, delightfully entertaining, and incredibly useful.

From the very first page, I was ensnared by the authors' incredible ability to seamlessly blend scientific rigor with captivating storytelling. "Nobody's Fool" not only challenges our preconceived notions of our own vulnerability to deception, but it does so with an unparalleled elegance that makes even the most complex concepts accessible to readers. I was particularly impressed by their honest and insightful discussion of scientific evidence, credulity, and our vulnerability to fraud. The authors are courageous in discussing cases of scientific misconduct; they bravely call out the individuals and institutions that shamelessly profiteer off lies and shoddy research findings.

I loved “The Invisible Gorilla” and, if it is possible, I was even more captivated by “Nobody’s Fool.” The synergy between Dan Simons and Chris Chabris is nothing short of magical. Their writing style is a harmonious blend of wit, clarity, and intellectual curiosity that transforms even the most complex psychological phenomena into an engaging and enlightening adventure. I am in awe of their ability to weave together personal anecdotes, fascinating examples, and cutting-edge research to create a text that is both enlightening and entertaining.

Simons and Chabris guide us through a journey that uncovers the astounding limits of our attention, perception, and awareness. Each insight is complemented by a compelling story that makes the lessons come to life. The authors' insightful exploration of the tools of deception left me more aware of my own mind’s functioning and my own vulnerability to scams.

"Nobody's Fool" is an extraordinary opus that sets a new standard for non-fiction. Simons and Chabris have gifted us a book that shatters illusions, challenges conventions, and invites us to explore the very fabric of our perceptions. Prepare to be captivated, enlightened, and forever changed by the remarkable insights that await you within its pages.

Great book!

This book is a great listen/read! My only critique is that, despite the many efforts the writers took to remove their own political views from this text, it was still made obvious which side of the political spectrum they identify with by which side of the political spectrum they choose to predominantly critique. The lack of a more balanced perspective is the only thing keeping this from being a 5 star review.

How easy it is to be fooled!

I enjoyed this book! Sometimes I zoned out on the statistics but tuned in for the summary! I didn't realize that I fall into a lot of the traps to be fooled. I will be on guard now when the stakes are high!!

state of the art in preventing confirmation bias

The authors give an excellent overview of recent developments, mainly in science, to prevent confirmation bias. Tools like Red Teams, pre-mortem, fraud and bias detection techniques, all presented with clarity, accuracy, and in an informative and entertaining manner.

Not many good examples

The book starts well but later the examples are not so interesting specially too much analysis for chess , I was hoping the book has more professional scams , rather than white ones but the book has very good points specially the scientific scams , I enjoy it.

limited information, read other books, political leaning hard left

You can find this information anywhere else in much greater detail and without the agenda bs. The topics are grazed by and have poor examples with incomplete descriptions. It keeps getting worse as you get past half way, the claims turn into complete inferences and mockings. the political jabs are subtilized to mask them, which is infuriating in a book of this kind. (Pot and kettle).

Boring! Nothing terribly substantial a dragged out essay with a book title

Not terribly informative very droll, monotones narration he won’t walk away with a lot of insights or new information. A good recorded book to listen to when you’re trying to fall asleep.