In this week's episode we speak with Jon Ronson, who contends the attributes of psychopaths really do help them get ahead. Ronson, who wrote the 2011 bestseller The Psychopath Test, also explores how social media rewards those with an empathy bypass, and looks at the rise of public shaming.

Speaking with Good Weekend senior writer Konrad Marshall, he also makes a case for non-fiction writers like himself avoiding the temptation of fudging the truth - and the importance of humour in writing.

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Nobody's desk at The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald has been as overflowing with books as that of Jason Steger, who recently left his job as books editor at the mastheads.

On today's episode he talks with culture writer Kerrie O'Brien about his favourite interviews and books, whether he cops much abuse from writers after a bad review - and that time he drank too much with Richard Flanagan.

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In today’s episode, American author, speaker and blogger Mark Manson discusses how the mantra of relentless positivity, which drives so much of the self-help industry, is full of pitfalls. He explains how negative emotions have a purpose - to drive us to do something - and why the willingness to look like an idiot occasionally guards against self-entitlement. He gives us tips on how to be realistic in our lives, how to maintain hope - and what not to do with cyber stalkers.

Hosting this talk is Good Weekend deputy editor, Greg Callaghan.

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