## Highlights - We think we can easily see into the hearts of others based on the flimsiest of clues. We jump at the chance to judge strangers. We would never do that to ourselves, of course. We are nuanced and complex and enigmatic. But the stranger is easy. If I can convince you of one thing in this book, let it be this: Strangers are not easy. (Page 50) - In Russian folklore there is an archetype called yurodivy, or the "Holy Fool." The Holy Fool is a social misfit eccentric, off-putting, sometimes even crazy-who nonetheless has access to the truth. Nonetheless is actually the wrong word. The Holy Fool is a truth-teller because he is an outcast. Those who are not part of existing social hierarchies are free to blurt out inconvenient truths or question things the rest of us take for granted (Page 98) - notes:: And or just someone with autism - If every coach is assumed to be a pedophile, then no parent would let their child leave the house, and no sane person would ever volunteer to be a coach. We default to truth-even when that decision carries terrible risksbecause we have no choice. Society cannot function otherwise. And in those rare instances where trust ends in betrayal, those victimized by default to truth deserve our sympathy, not our censure. (Page 141) - The world's most influential training program for law enforcement, for example, is called the Reid Technique. It is used in something like twothirds of U.S. state police departments-not to mention the FBI and countless other law-enforcement agencies around the world-and the Reid system is based directly on the idea of transparency: it instructs police officers, when dealing with people they do not know, to use demeanor as a guide to judge innocence and guilt. For example, here is what the Reid training manual says about eye contact: In Western culture, mutual gaze (maintained eye contact) represents openness, candor, and trust. Deceptive suspects generally do not look directly at the investigator; they look down at the floor, over to the side, or up at the ceiling as if to beseech some divine guidance when answering questions.... Truthful suspects, on the other hand, are not defensive in their looks or actions and can easily maintain eye contact with the investigator. (Page 327) - notes:: This certainly doesn’t take the neurodivergent into account, where eye contact can be incredibly uncomfortable and naturally avoided