Kathleen Wyatt at Aye Write!

In a time of deep fakes, alternative truths and leaked secrets, it would be easy to think that we are surrounded by lies. How do we do this extraordinary thing – often under the most ordinary of circumstances? How do we convince each other to suspend disbelief? Do we really tell more lies today? And considering her own lies, can she even be trusted on this subject?

In her brilliant, wide-ranging study of lies and lying, The Social Superpower, Wyatt introduces us to a cast of professionals and professional liars – from scientists to investigators, from double agents to toddler specialists, from a fallen titan of industry to a Nobel Peace Prize-winning journalist. Together, they all help her prove a remarkable thesis: lies hold us together as much as they push us apart and they are vital in a healthy society.