Maria Konnikova
Author or The Confidence Game
Discussion
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Maria Konnikova
@mkonnikova · author; contributing writer, New Yorker
Hey everyone! I'm Maria, a writer and journalist from New York City. I've written two books--one about Sherlock Holmes, and one about con artists (you might say I have a thing for crime)--and am a contributing writer for The New Yorker, where I have a regular column about psychology and culture. My first book, MASTERMIND: HOW TO THINK LIKE SHERLOCK HOLMES, was a New York Times bestseller...I guess a lot of other people have a thing for crime, too!
This week, I'm very excited to share the release of my book THE CONFIDENCE GAME, about the art of the con and nature of belief. I'm really looking forward to chatting with you all about it and answering any questions about con artists, victims, deception, writing, the nature of the universe, or anything else.
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Maria Konnikova
@mkonnikova · author; contributing writer, New Yorker
@larry_lawal That absolutely everyone can get conned. I've gotten multiple angry notes about the subtitle of the book - "no, we don't all fall for it; I'm not a sap." Well...
Harry Stebbings
@harrystebbings · Podcast Host @ The Twenty Minute VC
@mkonnikova thanks so much for joining us today Maria. Big fan of yours absolutely loved MASTERMIND!!! My question is; what has been the biggest point of learning for you in the writing of The Confidence Game? Is there anything you did not know before you wrote the book that you are very surprised about?
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Maria Konnikova
@mkonnikova · author; contributing writer, New Yorker
@harrystebbings Thanks so much, Harry! That's really nice of you to say. The biggest point of learning was to realize my personal vulnerabilities. I had thought myself far more skeptical and well-prepared than I ended up being.
Corley
@corleyh · COO @ Product Hunt
@mkonnikova Thanks for joining us today! I am intrigued by your new book and am excited to read it. A few quick questions for you.
1. What was the most obvious similarity between all of the con artists?
2. What was one trait that they shared that was less obvious or surprising?
3. What was one thing you discovered in your research that blew your mind or changed your perspective on con artists?
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Maria Konnikova
@mkonnikova · author; contributing writer, New Yorker
@corleyh Great questions, Corley!
1. They are all incredible storytellers.
2. It's not so much what they share as what they don't: they really aren't all evil psychopaths. I was ready to find that they were.
3. That most people won't ever realize they've been conned if the con is pulled off well enough.
Ryan Hoover
@rrhoover · Founder, Product Hunt
Hi, Maria! What inspired you to be a writer? Which authors do you look up to?
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Maria Konnikova
@mkonnikova · author; contributing writer, New Yorker
@rrhoover I've always wanted to be a writer! I believe I told my parents over dinner when I was six years old that I was going to write one day. The writers who inspire me... Fiction: Auden, Brodsky, Bulgakov, Nabokov (can you tell I'm Russian :)?), Fitzgerald, Hemingway. Non-fiction writers writing today: Michael Lewis, Jon Ronson, Erik Larson, Steven Pinker...the list goes on and on!
Erik van Mechelen
@decision_ · Novelist
@mkonnikova @rrhoover Auden, Nabokov, agree! Yes to Michael Lewis too...how is he so prolific? Even as a fiction writer I read for his storytelling.
Christopher Mims
@mims · tech columnist, Wall Street Journal
So what was your inspiration for writing the book?
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Maria Konnikova
@mkonnikova · author; contributing writer, New Yorker
@mims David Mamet! Seriously. I watched "House of Games," and wondered how a woman as sophisticated as the protagonist (she's a psychologist and writer...) could become enmeshed in such a complex long con. I couldn't stop thinking about it: she really wasn't the typical victim, yet she fell so spectacularly and hard. I couldn't find a book to answer my question, so I decided to write one.
Christopher Mims
@mims · tech columnist, Wall Street Journal
@mkonnikova @mims that is fantastic! This is what I think is so essential about your book: *anyone* can be conned. That's what I got out of it that I think everyone should know.
Moss Pike
@mosspike · Director of EdTech at Vistamar School
@mkonnikova Love your emphasis on the importance of reading! What are some of the most influential reads that have helped to shape your thinking? Thanks!
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Maria Konnikova
@mkonnikova · author; contributing writer, New Yorker
@mosspike There have been too many to list. But as a writer, "The Dyer's Hand" by W.H. Auden, "Less than One" by Joseph Brodsky, and "Letters to a Young Poet," by Rainer Maria Rilke have been pivotal. A few books I read at a young age that inspired me are Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita" and Nabokov's "Mary." I'm also a huge poetry reader, and always have been. Much of my inspiration for non-fiction ends up coming from more literary sources.
Moss Pike
@mosspike · Director of EdTech at Vistamar School
@mkonnikova Fantastic; thanks for a detailed response! I too look to fiction as a source of inspiration for work-related writing, and I find the creative connection between the two quite interesting. Looking forward to reading through your recommendations!
Erik van Mechelen
@decision_ · Novelist
Just read the opening pages, great opening! Congrats on the new book and added to my non-fiction writing collection here on PH:)
What is something we might learn from confidence tricksters to use for "good"?
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Maria Konnikova
@mkonnikova · author; contributing writer, New Yorker
@decision_ I think we can use their storytelling ability to influence people to actually do positive things: donate to charities, care about the environment, and the like. The tools or persuasion are remarkably similar across more and less legitimate professions!
Erik van Mechelen
@decision_ · Novelist
@mkonnikova @decision_ Awesome. Will be reading further in your book! Impressed by your ideal process day mentioned above :)
Anna Savina
@hashevatski · RUKI Editor-in-Chief
@mkonnikova Hi Maria! Thank you for joining PH!
How does you daily routine look like when you are working on a book? What helps you to stay focused? Do you use any web productivity tools or apps?
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Maria Konnikova
@mkonnikova · author; contributing writer, New Yorker
@hashevatski I swear by Freedom to block the internet when I'm working. Here's my ideal productive day: yoga in the early morning, at the computer by 8 or 8:30, write until noon, hour break (always away from the screen, to help clear my head and keep the creativity flowing), then writing until 5 or 6, and then...happy me time! That said, there's a wide gap between "ideal" and "well, so this happened..."
Britt Caputo
@brittcaputo · co-founder, Hamlet
@mkonnikova thanks for being here! Curious- do you think environment encourages someone to lean into conning, or is conning innate?
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Maria Konnikova
@mkonnikova · author; contributing writer, New Yorker
@brittcaputo It's absolutely a combination of predisposition and environment - and environment is crucial. As scientists put it, genes load the gun, but it's the environment that pulls the trigger.