How does your surname influence your life? What does the way you walk reveal about your personality? Why should women have men write their personal ads? What is the funniest joke in the world, and do religious fundamentalists have a sense of humour? Why are people in Delhi more helpful than Londoners? How can you be persuaded to remember events that never actually happened? Why do incompetent politicians win elections?

For over twenty years, psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman has examined the quirky science of everyday life. He has spent nights in allegedly haunted houses, conducted clandestine experiments in over thirty countries, and dressed up in a giant chicken suit. Here, he describes his adventures into the backwaters of human behaviour, and pays tribute to others who have carried out similarly weird and wonderful work. Presenting a fresh look at the fascinating phenomenon that is your life, this is the definitive guide to what happens when behavioural scientists misbehave.