The modern world operates on the principle of optimization. Things can now be produced, transported, and arranged more quickly and affordably than before. Everything from airline schedules to dating site matches is based on optimized models. In our daily lives, we are fixated on efficiency because we are productive and performance-oriented. How did a mathematical idea become so deeply ingrained in culture? And when efficiency increases, what loses?The fascinating history of optimization is traced in Optimal Illusions, from its origins in the founding ideals of America to its contemporary applications. Vibrant tales of oil tycoons, wildlife ecologists, Silicon Valley technologists, lifestyle gurus, sugar beet farmers, and poker players are included. These days, optimization is ingrained in the technologies and presumptions that make up both our physical reality and our interpretation of it.Because of her work in mathematical modeling, Coco Krumme is well aware of the overreach of optimization. Streamlined systems are more prone to failure and have lower resilience. They reduce our alternatives and distort our viewpoints. Living in an optimized society can have a deeply inhumane feeling to it. Optimal Illusions challenges us to think about what comes next by exposing the large deals we have made in the name of optimization.