If you've ever been in an argument where you just knew you were in the right and the other person was wrong, you should read this book. If someone has ever told you that you made a mistake, but you had a perfectly good explanation for what you did, you should read this book.

The theory of cognitive dissonance is a very powerful tool for understanding how humans interact with each other. We justify our decisions to ourselves as the right ones, because we feel that we are good people, and good people don't make bad decisions. It's a cycle that starts with small steps that get incrementally bigger, until we're on polar opposite sides of an issue.

This book is packed with examples, ranging from innocent people being sent to jail, to lovers' quarrels, to nations at war, to pharmaceuticals that don't work, to why Japanese children perform better in math over American children (hint: it has to do with the difference between feeling like we made a miscalculation or an error, versus feeling like we are just not very smart).

I don't wanna give it all away, but there's fantastic wisdom throughout. Highly recommended!