Dr. David DeSteno’s new book explores virtue and vice, and provides a new perspective on “character.” The book is titled, ”Out of Character: Surprising Truths About the Liar, Cheat, Sinner (and Saint) Lurking in All of Us” and should be on everyone’s reading list.  Dr. DeSteno is associate professor of psychology and director of the Social Emotions Lab.

“Out of Character,” examines puzzling behavior “from jealousy and bigotry to compassion and altruism, from cheating and hypocrisy to honesty and loyalty, from self-indulgence to self-control.” The book is based on surprising results of experiments from Dr. DeSteno’s laboratory over seven years, and 2,000 people. DeSteno argues that character is not necessarily formed in childhood and set in stone as many people think, but situational influences can push people in one direction or another. For more information, check out Dr. DeSteno’s blog about Character.