This week on Up Close: How can our most basic human behaviors work against us? And what can we do to use them in our favor?

They’re called “the artisans of crime,” and con artists use what they know about human behavior to identify, lure, and take advantage of a victim. How and why does it work? New Yorker contributing writer Maria Konnikova explains in The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for it… Every Time.

But understanding all these little bits of psychology is not only helpful in avoiding becoming a victim. We can also learn to be better members of society. In the case of our next author, we can learn to be better co-workers. Esquire senior editor Ross McCammon talks about that in Works Well with Others: An Outsider’s Guide to Shaking Hands, Shutting Up, Handling Jerks, and Other Crucial Skills in Business That No One Ever Teaches You.

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