Maria Konnikova

Born 1984

From Moscow, Russia · Nationality: United States, Russia · Writes nonfiction

Quotes

“Your likelihood of slipping in a shower is orders of magnitude larger than your likelihood of being in a terrorist attack— but just try convincing someone of that, especially if they knew someone who died in the Twin Towers.”
p.20
“The successful funds in any given year are mostly lucky; they have a good roll of the dice. There is general agreement among researchers that nearly all stock pickers, whether they know it or not— and few of them do— are playing a game of chance.”
p.42

Books by Maria Konnikova in the order they were published, from Grandiose Leadership (2005) to The Biggest Bluff (2020).

Annie DukeA former professional poker player who writes about decision-making under uncertainty, in Thinking in Bets.
Daniel KahnemanHis work on cognitive biases, in Thinking, Fast and Slow, underlies much popular writing on reasoning errors.
Michael LewisWrites narrative nonfiction about behavioral economics and decision-making, for example in The Undoing Project.
Ben MezrichWrites narrative nonfiction about gambling and card-counting, in Bringing Down the House.
Dan ArielyWrites accessible books on irrational behavior and self-deception, including Predictably Irrational.
Arthur Conan DoyleThe source of the Sherlock Holmes stories that Mastermind uses to illustrate observation and deduction.