Were you convinced that you actually had a good shot at winning the Powerball lottery?

Maria Konnikova says that's just "the illusion of control" - that is, when you understand how something works, you mistakenly believe you have a better grasp of its randomness. It's one of those psychological quirks behind cons and confidence.

Maria Konnikova, psychology and culture writer for The New Yorker online and the author of The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time (Viking, January 2016), explains how our brains leave us vulnerable to scams.

→ Event: Maria will join filmmaker and producer Brian Koppelman in conversation about her book at The Strand Bookstore on January 19th at 7pm. Click here for more details.