Before the age of three, children are incapable of deceit. By the age of seven, they act like natural born liars. Seven year old children have acquired one of the most important skills of their life, the ability to understand another person's mind ... they have a 'Theory of Mind'.
Without a Theory of Mind, none of us would be able to predict what other people think, believe and feel, nor could we love, lie, cheat, communicate, or develop mature relationships. Theory of Mind is the foundation of what makes us human and is understood the world over. Yet there are some people who have no understanding what others can think, such as people with autism; and recent research suggests that women's ability to mindread may be greatly superior to men's.
Sanjida O'Connell explores the enormous significance of Theory of Mind by looking at the minds of psychopaths, children, autistics, adults, animals and robots and examining how they differ. The first book for the lay reader on this subject, 'Mindreading' is immensely thought--revoking and insightful.
