A rich and engaging guide to psychology, the science devoted to understanding human nature. What really drives our decisions? Where do language and memory come from? Why do our minds sometimes seem to work against us? Psychologists have long attemp...

This gripping book traces the evolution of brainwashing from its beginnings in torture and religious conversion into the age of neuroscience and social media. When Pavlov introduced scientific approaches, his research was enthusiastically supported b...

An original, authoritative guide to the impact of grief on the brain, the heart, and the body of the bereaved. Grief happens to everyone. Universal and enveloping, grief cannot be ignored or denied. This original new book by psychologist Dorothy...

The desire for dignity is universal and powerful. It is a motivating force behind all human interaction – in families, in communities, in the business world, and in relationships at the international level. When dignity is violated, the response is l...

All of us think we know when we are angry, and we are sure we can recognize anger in others as well. But this is only superficially true. We see anger through lenses colored by what we know, experience, and learn. Barbara H. Rosenwein traces our man...

Why should we care about having true beliefs? And why do demonstrably false beliefs persist and spread despite consequences for the people who hold them? Philosophers of science Cailin O'Connor and James Weatherall argue that social factors, rather t...

"There is no good reason why human societies should not be described and explained with the same precision and success as the rest of nature". Thus argues evolutionary psychologist Pascal Boyer in this uniquely innovative book. Integrating recent in...

This pioneering account sets out to understand the structure of the human brain – the place where mind meets matter. Until recently, the left hemisphere of our brain has been seen as the 'rational' side, the superior partner to the right. But is this...

"Empathy: A History" tells the fascinating and largely unknown story of the first appearance of "empathy" in 1908 and tracks its shifting meanings over the following century. Despite empathy's ubiquity today, few realize that it began as a translatio...

Contingency calculations – the ability to predict the outcomes of decisions and actions – are critical for survival and success. Our amazing brains continually process past and current experiences to enable us to make the most adaptive choices. But w...