Our brain is not infallible, not at all. In fact, it often leads us, without even realizing it, to wrong assessments and bad decisions in our professional or personal lives. In this unique book, now read by millions of readers all over the world, Rolf Dobelli teaches us, in 52 short texts with clever examples, to identify and avoid "cognitive biases," those mental traps that we all risk falling into at any moment. - Why do we systematically overestimate our abilities and knowledge? - Why do we always say "yes" to likable people? - Why do we prefer to have an incorrect city map rather than no map at all? It is a fact: understanding how and how easily we can be deceived gives us a clear advantage over others... "Dobelli possesses both imagination and realism, a combination we have not encountered since the sages of the Renaissance." (Nassim Taleb, author of The Black Swan)