AUTHOR

Ian Leslie

Health & Wellness | Politics & Social Sciences | Business & Careers

I'm fascinated by humans - by the creative, combative, insightful, self-deceiving, wilful and perverse creatures that we are. In each of my books I hold some aspect of human psychology or behaviour up to the light and examine it from many angles. I consult with psychologists, anthropologists, economists, historians and philosophers; I interview people who do extraordinary jobs. I seek out the most amazing ideas and insights - and I bring this stew to the bubble with stories. Essentially, I aim to make you see what you thought you knew in a whole new light, and to give you insights that you can apply in your life. In BORN LIARS I asked why it is that while we all agree lying is a terrible thing, we all do it. Could it be that lies and lying are more central to our humanity than we like to admit? In CURIOUS, I argued that curiosity isn't a gift that keeps on giving but a muscle that needs to be exercised. In CONFLICTED I look at the art and science of disagreement. Now that we live in hyper-connected, democratic world in which everyone expects to be heard, there is more disagreement and conflict than ever - but nobody has prepared for us for this! So we either get into fights, or we avoid it - which may be even worse. I talked to people who successfully manage conflict-ridden conversations under pressure - interrogators, hostage negotiators, addiction therapists, diplomats, divorce mediators, relationship scientists - and distilled the incredible insights I learned into a series of principles for better, more productive disagreement - the kind that leads to creative achievement, smarter decisions, and deeper human connections.