The Psychology of Secrets: My Adventures With Murderers, Cults and Influencers

Andrew Gold knows this better than anyone. A public persona, he found himself the (unwitting) recipient of hundreds of strangers' most private revelations, all unsolicited. A journey to understand this critical—yet rarely analysed—part of our societies and lives. Why do we keep secrets? Why are we fascinated by those of others? What happens to our minds when we confess? Whom do we trust with our most confidential information?

Drawing from psychology, history, social science, philosophy and personal interviews, Gold explores our deepest, darkest, most intimate selves. From Churchill's wartime minister who started a summer school with the sole purpose of pretending to be one of the pupils and getting the cane, to the Scientologists using secrets to deify Tom Cruise and ensnare new members, to the woman in a German park who happens to hold the worst secret in the world, The Psychology of Secrets is a rollicking journey through the history of secrecy, bringing us face to face with cult leaders, murderers, psychopaths—and even ourselves.