Recent books

The Honest Truth About Dishonesty

Dan Ariely; Translated by Lee Kyung-sik from English to Korean; Chungrim Publishing: 344pp., 16,000 won

Why do people crave junk food when they are tired or stressed? Does religion make people more honest?

The majority of people think that they are honest. But almost everyone lies, at least once in a while.

Award-winning author Dan Ariely, professor at Duke University, looks at the truth about dishonesty with in-depth insight and extensive research. Through a series of tests and experiments, the author breaks down economist Gary Becker’s Simple Model of Rational Crime, which suggests that we evaluate situations using a rational calculation of the costs and benefits of engaging in dishonest behaviour while maintaining a positive view of ourselves.

Ariely also sets out to determine the forces that cause people to cheat and examines the behaviour of various occupations including golfers, pharmaceutical sales reps and finance professionals. He delves into the conundrum of human dishonesty to find ways to help us understand our behavior.

— Rachel Lee