Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell

No, this not a self-help book that teaches you how to be charming and how to effectively communicate with people. This a book written by Malcolm Gladwell, after all.

Malcolm Gladwell wants to tell us that we generally "default to truth", that we have a tendency to believe that people are telling the truth, even if there is already glaring evidence that we are being lied to.

Then again, Gladwell tells us that it's okay if most of us default to truth. After all, if we are all skeptics all the time, it would be impossible for us to have to have an organized society.

Gladwell also warns us that not all strangers are transparent. We think we might know psychology and human behavior, and that we have ample experience in reading people. But some people's internal feelings and thoughts are simply not matched to their facial expressions and behavior.

Talking to Strangers is another interesting and fascinating book by Malcolm Gladwell.  Read his books with a grain of salt if you must, but you will nevertheless learn a lot about history, psychology, and sociology from them.