Behavioural Scientist Michael Hallsworth on 'The Hypocrisy Trap'

Following the conversation, we invite you to join us for a meet-and-greet with the author, book signing and light refreshments.

The Hypocrisy Trap: How Changing What We Criticize Can Improve Our Lives (October 2025, The MIT Press)

Michael Hallsworth, Chief Behavioural Scientist, Behavioural Insights Team

How our desire to stamp out hypocrisy is backfiring—and how learning to target our criticisms better can improve our politics, business, and personal relationships.

In our increasingly distrusting and polarized nations, accusations of hypocrisy are everywhere. But the strange truth is that our attempts to stamp out hypocrisy often backfire, creating what Michael Hallsworth calls The Hypocrisy Trap. In this groundbreaking book, he shows how our relentless drive to expose inconsistency between words and deeds can actually breed more hypocrisy or, worse, cynicism that corrodes democracy itself.

Through engaging stories and original research, Hallsworth shows that not all hypocrisy is equal. While some forms genuinely destroy trust and create harm, others reflect the inevitable compromises of human nature and complex societies. The Hypocrisy Trap offers practical solutions: ways to increase our own consistency, navigate accusations wisely, and change how we judge others’ actions. Hallsworth vividly shows that we can improve our politics, businesses, and personal relationships if we rethink hypocrisy—soon.

Dr Michael Hallsworth is Chief Behavioural Scientist at the Behavioural Insights Team. For 20 years, he has worked as both an official and an advisor to various governments, and has been a leading figure in applying behavioural science to address practical problems. He is the co-author of the book Behavioral Insights (MIT Press) and his new book, The Hypocrisy Trap, is out in 2025. His work has been published in The Lancet, the Journal of Public Economics, and Nature Human Behaviour, and has more than 6,000 citations.

He has a PhD in behavioral economics from Imperial College London and is currently Distinguished Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania. He has held positions at Princeton University, Columbia University, and Imperial College London.

This event is available to attend in-person or virtually via livestream.

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• The event will be hosted in Desautels Hall at the Rotman School of Management (105 Saint George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3E6). Your registration fee includes a copy of the book, meet-and-greet with book signing by the author, as well as access to a video replay of the session for 30 days.

• Rotman Events will email registrants a link to the livestream. Your registration fee includes access to the livestream, video replay for 30 days, a copy of the book and shipping fees. The book will be shipped to registrants after the event. Please allow 3 - 4 weeks for delivery.

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• In-person registrants who do not pick up their book at the event will have 5 business days to request postal delivery by emailing us at [email protected]. All unclaimed books will be returned to the publisher after that time.

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