Hey there.
Shankar here.
I wanted to give you a heads up that I have a new book out.
It's called useful delusions and it looks at the paradox of self deception.
There are many ways deceiving ourselves can produce bad outcomes, but sometimes self deception can also produce good outcomes.
As I was thinking about this counterintuitive idea in my own life, I began to reflect on a personal story.
Its about my parents and I thought id share it with you as a Valentines Day bonus episode.
My parents were married for 46 years, right up until my dad died ten years ago.
He lived by a simple maxim on all matters big and small.
My mother was right.
When she embarked on difficult personal journeys, it was because they were necessary.
When she took daring professional leaps and suffered great setbacks, they were only temporary.
In every conflict and argument in which my mother found herself embroiled, my dad was on her side.
This wasn't a strategic decision he made to purchase domestic harmony.
He genuinely thought of her as the delphic oracle he was all in.
Regardless of whether such unswerving faith was good for my mother, I've come to realize it was very good for my father.
His delusional belief in her allowed him to lead a very happy married life.
If my mother were a psychopath, having such a loyal conspirator could have led to disaster.
But in the ordinary choices that families where to live, how to raise children, what to eat for dinner.
My father's simple faith in my mother's infallibility meant many important decisions got made quickly, easily and without recrimination.