Publisher's Synopsis
Can you be made to do something you don't want to do? The power of persuasion can turn ordinary people into suicide bombers and make us buy things we didn't think we wanted. The author, Professor of Psychology Robert Levine, introduces us to the mindsets of those who prod, praise, debase and manipulate others to do things they never thought they'd do - and are sometimes later sorry they did! Lucid, timely, entertaining and at times disturbing, Levine takes a hands-on approach by going undercover in the world of manipulation, attending training sessions for magicians honing their craft and working as a door-to-door salesman. And he finds the unlikely similarities across a wide range of persuasive strategies, from parents to con men to lovers to religious leaders.
