How to Lie with Numbers

How to Lie with Numbers

Update: 2025-10-24
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Description

We all lie to ourselves with numbers — even when we don't mean to. Our brains (and marketing messages) bend math in ways that can make questionable money choices feel justified. From how we frame percentages and comparisons to the mental gymnastics we do to justify spending, we explore why our perception of "good" or "bad" financial decisions can be so skewed. When we start to recognize how we "lie" with numbers, we can make clearer, more honest progress toward our goals.

Key moments:

(03:38 ) The PSLF "99% denial" panic — how framing changed everything

(11:44 ) How magnitude blindness affects our spending habits

(18:06 ) The car payment blind spot — why big costs feel smaller than they are

(22:10 ) How marketing and "discount logic" trick us into overspending

(34:33 ) Reframing money decisions to align with what actually matters

Resources mentioned:
How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff

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How to Lie with Numbers

How to Lie with Numbers