How does the brain of the con artist differ from the rest of us? Are we more likely to be tricked when we’re emotionally vulnerable? In The Confidence Game, author Maria Konnikova surveys con artists from different walks of life, from global swindlers to small-time street hustlers. In this podcast she takes a look at the con artist’s shared traits of narcissism, psychopathy and machiavellianism, and suggests how some of the skills of the con artist might be redeployed for the greater good.