Kevin Dutton – författare

In this engrossing journey into the lives of psychopaths and their infamously crafty behaviors, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton reveals that there is a scale of "madness" along which we all sit. Incorporating the latest advances in brain scanning and neuroscience, Dutton demonstrates that the brilliant neurosurgeon who lacks empathy has more in common with a Ted Bundy who kills for pleasure than we may wish to admit, and that a mugger in a dimly lit parking lot may well, in fact, have the same nerveless poise as a titan of industry.Dutton argues that there are indeed "functional psychopaths" among us—different from their murderous counterparts—who use their detached, unflinching, and charismatic personalities to succeed in mainstream society, and that shockingly, in some fields, the more "psychopathic" people are, the more likely they are to succeed. Dutton deconstructs this often misunderstood diagnosis through bold on-the-ground reporting and original scientific research as he mingles with the criminally insane in a high-security ward, shares a drink with one of the world's most successful con artists, and undergoes transcranial magnetic stimulation to discover firsthand exactly how it feels to see through the eyes of a psychopath.As Dutton develops his theory that we all possess psychopathic tendencies, he puts forward the argument that society as a whole is more psychopathic than ever: after all, psychopaths tend to be fearless, confident, charming, ruthless, and focused—qualities that are tailor-made for success in the twenty-first century. Provocative at every turn, The Wisdom of Psychopaths is a riveting adventure that reveals that it's our much-maligned dark side that often conceals the trump cards of success.

Brought to you by Penguin.It is human instinct to sort and categorize. We are hardwired to discriminate and frame everything in binary black and white. It''s how our brains work. Migrant or refugee? Muslim or Christian? Them or us? Rather than reaching out to those who are different, we bond with those who are similar to ourselves. Rather than challenging our own thinking about the world, we endeavour only to confirm what we believe.The result is that the difference between polarized beliefs becomes ever greater. Dangerous possibilities arise. The Alt Right. ISIS. Brexit. Trump. Through persistent binary thinking our capacity for rational and nuanced thought - seeing the grey, rather than merely black and white - begins to erode. Black and White Thinking is an alarm call. Amidst a rising tide of religious intolerance and political extremism, it argues that by understanding the evolutionary programming of our binary brains we can overcome it, make sense of the world and in future make much subtler - and far better – decisions.''Essential insights into the character of human choice and decision-making. You''ll not think about thinking the same way afterwards.'' Robert Cialdini, author of Influence and Pre-suasion''Fascinating, important and entirely convincing.'' Philip Pullman''Kevin Dutton is a Special Forces style psychologist. Daring. Original. All-action. No nonsense.'' Sir Ranulph Fiennes© Kevin Dutton 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020