The Liars of Nature and the Nature of Liars: Cheating and Deception in the Living World

This perceptive study by Sun (The Fairness Instinct), a biology professor at Central Washington University, examines the “behavior, evolution, and natural history of cheating” in the animal kingdom. He catalogs the ways in which animals, including humans, use deception to their evolutionary advantage and notes that in many species of monkeys, females will hide their sexual liaisons with “low-ranking” males from dominant males so as to increase their number of partners and chances to produce genetically diverse progeny. In the reptile world, male garter snakes facing fierce competition for a mate will mimic the behaviors and odor of females to confuse competitors. Sun also tackles human cheating, detailing the exploits of con man Frank Abagnale Jr. (of Catch Me If You Can fame) to suggest that human deception is more intricate and novel than that of other animals because of humans’ high intelligence, complex social structures, and ability to use language. The author highlights the effects of human self-deception and posits that, while it may boost self-esteem, the self-confidence is often misplaced. The accessible prose offers an eye-opening take on lying in the natural world and how evolutionary pressures to deceive impact human behavior. The smart parallels between humans and animals make for an insightful outing. (Apr.)