> I'm not sure how it would relate to "diplomacy, politics, finance and everyday life." Spinning narratives that reinforce what people want to believe has been

> I'm not sure how it would relate to "diplomacy, politics, finance and everyday life." Spinning narratives that reinforce what people want to believe has been a time-honored tradition since the beginning of humanity. It's deeply relevant to those domains and more. > Magicians are the only one where success is hiding your skill. Magicians are one of the few crafts where hiding skill is mandatory (perhaps barring meta-showmen like Penn & Teller). But this pattern too shows up many other places. Comedians have to conceal the performative nature of their act, making it seem like the 874th iteration of a joke is something they just thought of extemporaneously. Actors aren't eager to share the mundane grind of their method(s), so as not to break the illusion. (For instance: Tom Hanks sometimes does math problems in his head for certain types of reaction shots.) Or consider the politician backed by the talented speechwriters and research team, who you'll never meet or even hear mentioned. In a sense, stage/street magic is a subset of a game that all humans play: perception management (with varying degrees of honesty). Being more aware of this process and how our buttons are being pushed is something that would help us all.