In order to gain self-knowledge, you have to reduce the gap between what you think about yourself and reality. Although this is often an uncomfortable process, the truth is always liberating. In this episode, I share two theories from social psychology about why we sometimes lie to ourselves and fool ourselves, as well as suggestions for overcoming these tendencies. I describe some of my own approaches to overcoming self-deception by getting objective data about my life. Show Notes

• Trivers' Theory of Self-Deception
• The Better Angels of Our Nature by Stephen Pinker
• The Dunning-Kruger Effect
• TVL E200 Quantified Self
• TVL Episode The Unexamined Business Is Not Worth Building